Valentine's Day
by maintje
Summary: It's Valentine's Day at Hogwarts. Harry and Draco are the only ones that don't seem to enjoy themselves. It must mean something. HP/DM slash COMPLETE! Now betaed by Siriuslyholly!
1. Chapter 1: Breakfast

**A Harry/Draco pairing fic. If you don't like, don't read.  
I do not own the characters. All credits go to J.K. Rowling.**

**A special thanks to Siriuslyholly for betaing this chapter, and who did a really great job!**

Valentine's Day

Chapter 1

Breakfast

It was Valentine's Day at Hogwarts. Most of the students, especially the girls, were very busy choosing gifts for their Valentines, but not Harry. A lot of girls had come up to Harry and asked him to be their Valentine; but he refused to participate in the Holiday. Besides, he didn't _want _to be their Valentine. In fact, he didn't feel like celebrating Valentine's Day at all.

"Harry? What's wrong?" Hermione asked, concerned. They were having breakfast in the Great Hall. Much to the liking of the female members of the school, the Great Hall was suffering from a pink fever. Cupids were floating around, hearts fell out of the sky, and there was a certain kind of tension in the air.

The Corridors hadn't been able to escape this embarrassing fate either. The suits of armour and paintings were singing out-of-tune Celestia Warbeck lovesongs and from time to time, a girl and a boy were trapped by a jinx that required them to kiss in order for them to escape. Harry was happy it hadn't happened to him. He could see it all over the all over the _Daily Prophet_': "_The Boy Who Lived: a new girlfriend on Valentine's Day." _He didn't need, nor want it.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking," Harry said absently. Ron was stuffing his breakfast down and grabbing everything edible: beans, bacon, and cornflakes. Harry imagined how his stomach would look if he finished. It was as if his life depended on it.

"You're staring," Hermione said. Unlike Ron, she saw everything that was going on in his head. Yes, he was staring. He was looking at someone who was sitting at one of the four long tables in the Great Hall.

"What are you staring at?" Hermione fired, desperately trying to follow his gaze.

"Leafm lone, 'Mione," Ron said, his mouth full of toast. Hermione looked at him disapprovingly, but waited for Harry's answer.

Harry sighed and stopped looking at the Slytherin table. "I'm not looking at anything, 'Mione."

"Do you already have a Valentine?" she asked. "You've got plenty of choice."

"That's right, mate. If I were you…" Ron said, nodding his head fervently and looking around the Gryffindor table to admire the feminine wealth. Hermione kicked Ron under the table as if to say, "You're going with me!" Ron focused on his meal again.

"Don't want one," Harry replied grumpily. He filled his bowl with cornflakes, but didn't eat.

"You're still thinking about Cho, is that it?" Hermione continued. Harry looked at the Ravenclaw table and saw Cho sitting with her friends. He felt his stomach churn, but not because he liked her. On the contrary; he felt uncomfortable thinking about her as a girlfriend. He wouldn't want her to cry on his shoulder every night because he saw Cedric Diggory die. Cho's friends started to look his way, so he turned his head quickly. He didn't want them to think he was going to ask Cho to be his Valentine. That would be a nightmare.

"No. Cho's long gone. Harry doesn't want her, right Harry?" Ron smiled. He had brown sauce around his lips, but Harry was too polite to tell him to wipe it away. Hermione wasn't, she pointed at his chin and Ron wiped it with his napkin whilst filling his fork with a new load of food.

"She couldn't stop thinking about Cedric. Really, it would never have worked out, believe me." Harry pulled a lost confetti paper heart out of his bowl of cornflakes and threw it on the ground. He hated Valentine's Day. It was the only day at Hogwarts that he really would want to disappear. He couldn't wait until the love letters and cards would arrive. That would be _fun. _

"But Harry, you're popular. Everyone thinks you're gorgeous. Especially now they know you didn't lie about You-Know-Who," Hermione said. Harry could sink through the ground as she said 'hot'. Well, at least he wasn't thought to be mental or a liar anymore.

"Hermione, you're bothering him," Ron said. Harry could hear jealousy in his voice, but he was glad that he had tried to make her stop. She hadn't said that Ron was hot, but Harry knew she thought Ron was the hottest guy in the entire school; she just wouldn't say it. He thought it was funny. He'd known for a long time that his best friends were in love. The whole school knew... except for them, of course.

"I'm going outside to get some fresh air," Harry said. He left his cereal untouched, and swiftly left the table, leaving his friends staring at the back of his head. The owls hadn't arrived yet, but he knew Hedwig wouldn't bring him anything since Sirius died. He was sure she was in the Owlery. He was glad to escape the Great Hall, and all the longing stares from the girls that came with it.

* * *

Draco was not happy today. Dumbledore had put hearts and Cupids all over the place, the old ghoul! Why did he have to act so extremely happy all the time? Draco was in a bad mood… A really bad mood.

He hated Valentine's Day; he always had to go out with Pansy. Not that he hated the girl, but it was really quite annoying when she constantly wanted to trick him into snogging. He most definitely didn't want to snog her. He got a bad taste in his mouth, just by thinking of it.

Besides, his parents thought of Pansy as the perfect future wife for him for him. He knew Pansy well, and she wouldn't miss the chance to convince Draco's parents that they both loved each other. Well, now that he was sixteen, he knew what he wanted. Pansy wasn't part of it that, that was for sure.

He wasn't paying attention. Not at breakfast, either.  
"What's wrong, Draco?" Pansy asked. Her annoying little voice reminded him of the long years of friendship with her, which he had started to regret.

"Nothing Pansy, I'm just thinking." _Something you can't do, _Draco thought angrily. Why did she always have to be annoying? Couldn't she just leave him be?

"Why haven't you asked me out yet, Draco? Do you have someone else?" she asked. Right, there it was. Stupid girl.

"No. I just want to be alone this time. Really." Pansy's face fell. Draco was sure she was about to cry.

"You can go with me Pansy," Blaise said from across the table. _Thanks, Blaise, _Draco thought.

"No, Blaise. We're friends," Pansy said prudishly. Draco ignored the urge to gag. Weren't they friends too? Draco felt uneasy. The thought of her long black hair made him want to throw up. He had a thing for black hair, everyone knew that, but but something about Pansy's hair made him want to vomit. He wasn't paying attention to his food. There was one piece of bacon on his plate and a tiny piece of omelette, but he hadn't eaten yet. He was staring at the Gryffindor table. The Golden Trio was seated, as usual, in the middle of the table, talking.

He saw Potter leave the table. What was he up to? Draco put down his cutlery and announced, "I need to use the bathroom." He stood up and went after him.

**To be continued…**

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: The letter

**Thanks a lot for the reviews. Here's the second Chapter. I don't know how long the story's going to be going to be yet.  
HP/DM, slash. All credits to J.K. Rowling.**

**A special thanks to Siriuslyholly for betaing this chapter!**

Chapter 2: The Letter

Harry made his way out of the Great Hall and outside to the Hogwarts grounds. As he hadn't planned on going outside, he hadn't brought a warm cloak. Shivering, he kept walking until...

"Hey, Potter!"

Harry turned around. For a moment he had thought Ron had followed him, but he was surprised to see Malfoy striding out of the castle.  
"What?" Harry asked, his irritation rising.

"What are you doing outside?" Malfoy sneered.

"I could ask the same to you," Harry replied shortly. He didn't feel like talking to Malfoy, of all people.

"I was on my way to the toilet, before I saw you sneak out," Draco answered coolly.

"I'm not sneaking out. I was up for some fresh air, Malfoy. Not that it's any of your business."

"Angry, Potter? What, you haven't found a girlfriend for Valentine's?"

"Not yet," Harry groused. Why was he even talking to Malfoy?

"Is no one good enough for our Golden Boy?" Malfoy spat.

"Shut it, Malfoy." Harry turned around and walked away.

* * *

Draco didn't feel like returning to the castle. In fact, he didn't need to use the bathroom at all.  
"I already have one," he said. He wanted Harry's attention back. It was better than talking to his poor excuse of a girlfriend; but he might as well use her.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked, turning around again.

"Yes. Pansy asked me to be her Valentine."

"No wonder you look so miserable," Harry said. He turned back around, a slight smile on the lips.

Eventually Harry had to go back inside. He had been surprised that he had been able to shake Malfoy off so easily, but, well, maybe it was for the better. He couldn't be getting into fights with the boy for the rest of his life. Maybe Malfoy needed to grow up a little.

He always could think reasonably when he wasn't around, but as soon as Malfoy showed up, he found that he couldn't hold himself and started to tease the boy.

_Maybe you need to grow up too, _he heard in Hermione's voice in the back of his mind. That was what _she_ would say, but he hadn't _asked_ Malfoy to follow him.

The first lesson of the day was transfiguration. Professor McGonagall wasn't a Valentine's type, (Harry and Ron had both had a fit when they thought about McGonagall in pink; Hermione had to kick them both before they could recompose themselves) but she had decided to let the class transfigure white doves into fluffy teddy bear hearts.

At the sight of the doves, all the girls had giggled and high pitched shrieks could be heard across the classroom. Harry and Ron immediately teamed up together, and didn't do particularly well at transfiguring their dove. Ron would have preferred to strangle it, but Harry made sure he didn't. Eventually it became a teddy bear heart with feathers, of which Harry was very proud, but McGonagall seemed displeased.

After the class, they traipsed to the Gryffindor common room to get their cloaks, as their next lesson was Herbology with Professor Sprout. On the way, Harry saw grumpy little dwarfs dressed up like Cupids delivering Valentine's cards and love-letters. Harry pitied all those who received one. He hadn't forgotten the disaster with Ginny's card, four years ago. in his peripheral vision, he saw Malfoy, dragging his feet on his way to his lesson

"Hey, Malfoy!" Harry shouted, giving Ron and Hermione a lead. Ron was looking over his shoulder, wanting desperately to see Harry publicly humiliate Malfoy, but Hermione pulled him by the arm, muttering about how they couldn't be late for Herbology, since it was quite a walk outside. However, Harry felt that he could miss a couple of minutes of his lesson to taunt Malfoy a bit.

"Potter," Malfoy answered.

"Where are your bodyguards?" Harry mocked. Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to be around. They were probably eating, which was their only hobby. Harry understood them anyhow, because they weren't capable of doing anything else but eat and punch.

"None of your business," Malfoy howled. He was on his way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He stopped to look at Harry and listened to what the 'hero' had to say this time.

"Nice little Cupids, aren't they?" Harry enounced. He didn't know what to say exactly, but he couldn't let him go now, because he had bothered him this morning too. He wanted to get back to him.

"Would you want one to add it to your fanclub, Potter?" Draco barked. Harry glared at him.

"Maybe there's one in there for you," Harry laughed, meaning the cards. Malfoy's face seemed to pale a little bit. Clearly, he wanted the mail as much as Harry did. Harry would run away screaming if he had to go through a singing card, like he did in his second year.

"Shut up, Potter!" Malfoy wanted to walk away, but stopped when Harry snorted and nodded down the corridor.

"Look, there he comes," Harry pointed with a large smile. He only hoped it wasn't for him, as did Draco.

"Stupid creatures," Malfoy spat.

"I have a letter for Mister Malfoy, from Pansy Parkinson," the dwarf announced. Harry watched Malfoy's reaction. As usual, Harry couldn't see through the metaphorical mask Draco wore, although he knew that the Prince of Slytherin wouldn't be too pleased with a letter from the girl.

"I don't want it," Malfoy said. Harry could see a pink blush creep up his cheeks. This was so not Malfoy. Harry felt a weird churn in his stomach but ignored it, eyeing the events that were taking place in front of him. The hallway was almost empty, as most of the other students were attending their classes.

"I have to read it," the dwarf said. He straightened his bow and arrow and cleared his throat.

"Go ahead," Harry said, encouraging the dwarf to blurt out the secrets.

"No!" Draco growled. "I'll read it myself!" He pushed the dwarf away and snatched the letter from his tiny hands. He did this in a graceful movement that would astound any girl, but Harry wasn't impressed. That's what he told himself, anyway. The dwarf gave Malfoy an angry glare, though he didn't say anything else; he just went to search for the next person to deliver a card to. They hated it as much as the students, with the exception of some obsessed girls.

Malfoy read the letter. His pale skin lost all the color that was left in it.

"What is it? Bad news? Does Parkinson want to marry you, or what?" Harry asked. He felt a little concerned but tried his best not to let it show in his voice. As soon as the he realised the feeling that was forming, Harry wanted to shout at himself. Concerned? For Malfoy? Not in a lifetime.

"Get lost!" Malfoy shouted and turned away from him.

* * *

Draco could murder himself. Had he not been a Malfoy, he was sure he would have commited suicide, but a Malfoy did no such thing. The letter had said that Pansy was to become his wife. What a great guesser Harry was. He wouldn't marry Pansy before he turned seventeen of course, but still. Stupid Pansy. She couldn't even say it to his face. She was so excited about it, he could tell, even though Pansy hadn't talked to him about it yet. That was mostly due to Draco's reaction: he hadn't spoken a word in the rest of his classes. He wanted to avoid Pansy; to never see her again, but that was impossible. What did he have to do? What could he possibly do about it?

He hesitated to tell Blaise about it. He knew Blaise had a thing for Pansy, so he didn't want to hurt his feelings. Also, Draco didn't know if he could trust him, so he would keep it for himself. He could handle his life very well. But, that _stupid letter_!

And then there was that dumb, thick headed Potter. Why did he have to be there? He hated him. He really hated everything about him; his stupid scar-head, his stupid dark hair, his ugly glasses, his green eyes that shone _too_ brightly and, of course, his fucked-up smile. Draco never got that smile. He had seen Harry flash it to a lot of people. But Draco never got _the _smile. He wasn't jealous, not at all. No.

Draco hadn't forgotten that day on the train, when he offered Potter his hand. He truly wanted to become friends with him, then. But Potter had decided otherwise. The idiot.

He couldn't avoid Pansy forever. Soon, she got on his nerves. As he was revising his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, (he had been too busy thinking about the letter to pay attention in class) Pansy sat down next to him.

"What's wrong Draco?" she asked, her voice sweet as sugar-sweet. Draco was sure he would end up vomiting later that day.

"Nothing. I got your letter, that's all," Draco said coldly.

"And? What do you think?" she asked. _Was this girl that stupid_? Draco wondered if she was even a pureblood. Maybe her mother had mated with a troll; that would explain a lot.

"I thought it was horrible," Draco said. Although, horrible was an understatement as to what he was feeling. The longer he looked at the girl, the sicker he felt, but Pansy couldn't do anything about it. He didn't hate _her_. He had liked her company for years, until their parents came up with the idea of marriage. He just hated the fact that he would have to marry her, eventually, just to keep up the pride of the Malfoys. Draco didn't get how Pansy, of all people, was the one that was worthy to be a Malfoy.

"What do you mean?" Pansy asked, a little hurt. Of course, she liked the notion. Who wouldn't like to marry a Malfoy? Who wouldn't like to marry _him_? He could compare to Potter if it came to looks. He was so much hotter than him, everyone knew that.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Marry. You." Draco said slowly, to make her understand.

"Why?"

"I'm not in love with you." Pansy's eyes filled with tears. Draco could have seen that one coming. Wait until his father heard about it.

"Who are you in love with, then?" Pansy asked, through her tears. She still managed to sound composed, which was, after all, because she was a Slytherin.

"I'm not in love with anyone. Just because I'm not in love with you, it doesn't mean I'm in love with someone else." Draco turned a page of his textbook and sighed, clearly annoyed by both the book and Pansy.

"I know you're in love with someone. You have to be. You're constantly staring," Pansy accused.

Draco grumbled, pretending to be captivated by a particular sentence in the book.

"I know it's a Gryffindor, cause you keep staring at the Gryffindor table at lunch," she continued.

"I'm not in love with anyone. I'm watching that stupid table because of Potter. I'm just trying to figure out why he is so obsessed with me all of a sudden; he can't stop looking at us."

"So it's Potter? Again? All you ever talk about is Potter."

"That's because he's the fucking Chosen One. Have you seen the girls in this school? They're practically drooling on him just because they know he was telling the truth last year."

"He isn't even handsome," Pansy said. Here, Draco had to agree. Their discussion seemed to end, and Draco took his chance to get out of the conversation.

"Can we drop it now? I've got some studying to do," Draco said.

Pansy looked at him. "I still want to marry you," she said, before she left.

Draco turned a page. behind the mask he put on, it was impossible to tell that deep inside, he really want to scream. He wanted to change lives with anyone right now. Tears started to fill his eyes and his vision blurred, meaning he couldn't focus on his book.

He closed his book angrily and fought away the tears. He was a Malfoy.

And Malfoys didn't cry.

Draco decided he didn't want to go to his dormitory, since Blaise and the other sixth-years would be there. He was up for a walk.

He exited the Slytherin common room, even though it was long past curfew. As he walked through the corridors, he felt himself become a little more at ease.

He found a silent and hidden seat to sit and think, near a window. He watched the moonlight wash over the Hogwarts grounds; everything still seemed the same, but so many things had changed. Who would have known that he would have to marry Pansy eventually?

He couldn't get past it; it was bothering him more than anything ever had done. It was because of his parents, his _father. _He didn't care about his feelings. He didn't care about him at all. All he wanted was to keep the honor of the Malfoys high, and Draco had to help him in that. It didn't matter what he wanted. It never had.

A single tear fell down his cheek. No, a Malfoy did not cry.

But somehow, Draco couldn't stand to be alone anymore; alone in this crowded place, alone, with all his friends.

Harry was lying on his bed, the silence disturbed by Ron's snoring. Even after sharing the same room for several years with Ron, Harry still wasn't used to the noise, and Neville was quite a loud sleeper too.  
However, that was not the reason Harry couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Malfoy; how his face had fallen when he read the letters on that note the dwarf had brought. What could it possibly have said?

Harry was extremely curious. That was the reason he couldn't get to sleep; his thoughts kept wandering. He reached over to his bedside table, retrieved the Maurauder's Map, and looked at the sleeping castle. Since it was Valentine's Night, not all the students were sleeping, and of course, Filch knew that. He was doing his tour along with Mrs. Norris and trying to find all the snogging couples hidden in the castle. He saw Cormac Maclaggen and Romilda Vane being caught.

Harry smiled. It was funny, he could imagine Filches angry face screaming: "Students, out of bed, students, in the hallway!"

But then he noticed a mark in a corner of a hallway on the fifth floor. The label read 'Draco Malfoy'. Harry wanted to know what he was up to, so he leapt out of bed, grabbed his invisibility cloak and ran out of the common room.

When Harry arrived on the fifth floor and saw Malfoy, he felt guilty for thinking the boy would be up to something. He was just sitting there, staring out of the window.

A little ray of moonlight fell on his face. And then Harry saw it. Malfoy was crying.  
Crying? Why was Malfoy crying? This was impossible.

Harry kept staring at the blonde boy before him. He was only meters away, invisible of course, but he didn't dare to step closer, afraid that Malfoy would feel someone's presence around him.

He stood there for a long while. Draco looked like a statue. He barely moved, sunken in his own thoughts. Harry had never seen Malfoy like this before; he had never had the opportunity to observe these emotions. Harry thought maybe he was dreaming. Maybe he had fallen asleep! Harry pinched himself and found that it hurt. He was awake, then. Harry looked at the map again.

Filch was on the fourth floor. He really didn't want Filch to barge to barge in on this special moment. But where was Mrs. Norris? Harry searched for the other name and was alarmed to find it only metres away from them. He should've known, that sneaky cat was always where it shouldn't be.

Harry forgot for a moment that he was wearing the invisibility cloak and felt like running off.  
Mrs. Norris didn't see him, although he was sure that she suspected him to be around, but she could see Malfoy clearly. Harry stood still, afraid she would sense his movement. Malfoy didn't notice. He kept staring, even when Mrs. Norris left to get Filch.

It was scary how fast the cat had fetched her Master, and soon enough, Harry saw him enter their corridor moments later. Harry wasn't thinking when he stepped forward. He pulled Malfoys arm – who looked startled – and covered him with the invisibility cloak, gesturing for him to stay silent. He made sure nothing was visible, because all of his efforts would have been for nothing if Filch saw a few floating limbs.

Well, Harry had most definitely not been thinking. The cloak was too small for them. Malfoy was a lot taller than Harry and Harry had grown quite a lot himself. In their first year, Harry, Ron and Hermione could all fit under it, but now it was too small, even for two.

Harry stood pressed against Malfoy, the only way for them to be completely covered by the cloak.

Chest to chest.

Malfoy had his eyes wide open, his cheeks still a bit wet of crying, but he couldn't lift his arms to wipe them otherwise they would show themselves. They didn't dare speak a word.

If Malfoy didn't already know why Harry had done it, he had to know now as Filch walked past them, his tiny little eyes searching for students.

"Where did you say you had seen them, sweetheart?" he appealed. He shuffled forward, his greasy old hair stuck on his cheek.

Harry felt a bit uncomfortable. Malfoy was breathing beside him and his warm breath caressed his neck softly. It gave him goose bumps. He was trying to hold his breath, but when he did breathe he could smell Malfoy's clothes. It smelled good, fresh, Malfoy-ish, with a hint of vanilla. His heart was beating so fast and hard that Harry feared Malfoy would hear it. The boys just stood there silently, looking at each other in shock.

Filch was gone, but still, neither of them moved. They stayed glued to each other, invisible for the world… except for the Maurauders' Map of course. There, just one dot was visible, carrying two names: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

It was the most awkward moment Harry had ever experienced, taking the wet kiss with Cho into account.

After a while, they seemed to realize that they had to go back to their dormitries, and they stepped away from each other simultaneously. They looked at each other for another second before leaving without saying a word.

**To be continued…  
Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3:Obsession

**Thanks a lot for the positive Reviews! This is the next chapter. I hope you like where it's going. This chapter's been betaed by SiriuslyHolly, who did yet again an excellent job! **

Chapter 3  
Obsession

Draco had been in thought, looking out in the evening sky. He was startled when Potter had pulled him up, seemingly out of nowhere.

He wanted to shout at him, but then he realized what he was doing: they were standing under Harry's invisibility cloak. Well, pressed under the cloak was a better description for the situation, but anyway, Draco didn't move.

He didn't want to be caught _crying _in the corridors at night by Filch.

He didn't particularly want to be caught by Potter either, but it was already too late. The Scarhead seemed to know his hiding places; he always showed up in the most inconvenient of moments.

Draco hated it. He didn't want the Golden Boy to spread rumours that Malfoy was weak.

But, Potter didn't say anything either; they just stood there, and Draco had to admit that he felt comfortable. He felt at ease, which he usually only felt when he was alone. It was weird. He ignored it, but still, the feeling persisted.

He could feel Harry's breath wash over his body. He could feel Harry's heart thump through his chest. It was awkward. No, awkward was an understatement.

The Boy Who Lived was pressing him against the wall with an invisibility cloak covering them. It surprised him they weren't snogging yet. Draco didn't want Potter to kiss him, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to resist if the Golden Boy started it. Harry wasn't bad looking. He was very muscular; Draco could feel that as they were standing under the cloak. His nose also approved of Potter's scent.

But then Filch was gone, and there was no reason to stay there anymore, so it ended. The moment was broken. Without saying anything, they both went on their way.

Draco had to admit that it was one of the most special Valentine surprises he had ever had.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was in a rather good mood. He didn't know why, to be honest.

Somehow, Harry suspected the blonde Slytherin had something to do with it, but he blocked the thought from his mind and went downstairs with Ron. Ron wasn't much of a morning person and hardly talked before nine, meaning their first conversation that day was rather one-sided.

They met Hermione, who was, as usual, doing some morning studying in the common room. She was most definitely a morning person.

"Hey, 'Mione. What are you studying?" Harry asked, sitting down beside her.

"Nothing. I'm just reading something to get my mind off of things."

"Read? To get your mind off things? Are you sure you're not mental, Hermione?" Ron chortled. Reading at this hour of the morning seemed like a death sentence to Ron.

""Shut it, Ronald," Hermione snapped, closing the book and leaving for breakfast. Ron and Harry quickly followed suit.

Harry sat with a clear view of the Slytherin table. He desperately wanted to find out why Malfoy had been so upset the night before. Did he have the Mark, as he had suspected before Hogwarts had even started that year? Did it even have anything to do with Voldemort? Harry needed to know.

"Don't you think Malfoy's acting weird?" Harry asked his friends during their meals.

Ron shrugged his shoulders and continued eating. Hermione on the other hand, put down her fork and looked curiously at Harry.

"What do you mean by 'acting weird'?" she asked. It was something new for Hermione to ask a question, rather than answer one instead.

"Just... weird, I guess. Like I said."

"What makes you think he acts weird?" Hermione asked, as her eyebrows reached her hairline.

"When I went outside yesterday, Malfoy followed me. He wanted to know if I was up to something."

"What do you mean?" Ron was now paying attention too.

"I don't know. He just asked me if I had a Valentine."

"I don't know what's wrong with that," Hermione said, grabbing her fork and going back to her breakfast.

"Hermione, everything's wrong with that! It's _Malfoy_," Ron answered, his mouth full of beans.

"Ron, don't be stupid."

"I think there's something behind it. Maybe a task for Voldemort or something," Harry guessed.

" Harry, we've been through this. I agree that Malfoy is a prat, but he's not a Death Eater, he's too young!"

"What makes you think that, Hermione? You're always so smart, but you're acting quite retarded right now," Ron announced.

"Watch your language, Ronald," Hermione scolded. Ron shut his mouth and went back to eating.

Harry, who had just voiced his thoughts out loud, went back to his breakfast again and watched Malfoy from the corner of his eye.

It must have been it must have been something big to upset a Malfoy.

Draco didn't feel like getting out of bed. He didn't feel like talking to Pansy. He didn't feel like eating. He didn't feel like going to his Malfoy was having an off-day.

"Hi, Draco," Pansy greeted him cheerily, once he'd dragged himself out of bed and into the common room, getting dressed along the way. Draco wondered why she didn't just kiss him already. Of course, he would push her away, most likely violently, because _no one_ had the right to kiss him without his permission.

"Hi, Pans," he answered. He wasn't about to bring up the conversation of yesterday, so he might as well start clean.

"I love what you're wearing today," she purred. Draco looked at his clothes. They were nice, perfect as always, but not any different from any other day. She had never noticed his clothes before.

"Thanks." _I guess_. He grabbed his bag, seeing Crabbe and Goyle.

"Are we going to grab some breakfast?" he asked them.

"Of course. Breakfast." Crabbe answered while Goyle nodded. Maybe the latter had forgotten how to talk. Draco liked being in their company because they never did anything to disturb him. Silently, they made their way to the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table, filling their plates with food. Crabbe and Goyle piled theirs high, whilst Draco's looked ridiculously empty in comparison.

Draco began to nibble at some buttered toast as Pansy came to sit in front of him. That annoying girl. How dumb could she be? Didn't she see that he didn't want her? He looked away, because he wasn't about to start a staring contest, and his gaze fell on Harry.

Their glances crossed for a brief moment. What was Potter's problem now? Why was he looking at him?

Draco stared at his plate again. He hadn't forgotten about yesterday; it was a very kind thing to do, what Potter had done, yet he hadn't said a thing. He hadn't asked what was wrong, what he was doing there; nothing. Draco was a little bit grateful, not that he would show it, of course.

He looked back up, but Potter was looking at him, still_._ Draco sighed. He obviously hadn't forgotten about yesterday, either.

"What are you looking at?" Pansy blurted. She was probably hurt because he wasn't looking at her.

"Nothing," Draco declared, "why do you ask?"

"Oh," Pansy replied dumbly. Draco sneered inwardly. She couldn't say anything else. Draco went back to his food, but in his mind, he went back to the night before.

As the days passed by at Hogwarts, Harry became slightly obsessed with finding out what was wrong with Malfoy. He seemed unhappy most of the time, and Harry had to know why.

"Don't you think Malfoy is acting weird?" Harry asked again, this time during Potions.

Ron looked up; his face was red with frustration from trying to cut his frog's legs into tiny even pieces.

"I dunno. Haven't you already asked that a hundred times?"

"Yeah, but he seems unhappy about something. I can just... sense it."

"Maybe Voldemort didn't want him on his team and big Daddy's disappointed or something," Ron suggested, only half-joking.

"Do you think? I mean, do you believe Voldemort is involved?"

"Look at him, Harry. He's a Malfoy. Of course he's unhappy because of that. What would make _him _unhappy otherwise?"

"You're probably right," Harry sighed. He wanted to know desperately, but inside he still hoped that it wouldn't involve the snake-eyed man.

"You're stirring the potion all wrong. Would you drop it so we can get some decent grades this time?" Ron's face was getting redder and redder.

"Okay, okay. Since when did you get so obsessed with doing well in Potions?" Harry snorted.

"Since when did you get all obsessed with Malfoy?" Ron snapped back.

Harry carried on stirring the potion without answering. Ron was probably right. What else could Malfoy possibly cry about? Harry saw the potion turned the right shade of green, stopped stirring, and started to stare at Malfoy again.

Draco had done the potion perfectly, as always; however, he wasn't praised as much by Professor Slughorn. He was adding the last ingredients when Harry looked at his arm. Would the Mark be there? Maybe Malfoy got it during the Christmas Holidays, that could be possible.

Harry saw Hermione staring oddly at him, and looked back at his work, imitating the actions Malfoy had just done, although it had a less perfect outcome.

After the class, Ron returned to the common room to relax, but Harry followed Hermione to the library to get some work done. Hermione had shot Ron a look so much like Molly's that it would have fooled the Weasleys.

Harry grabbed his books and started on his Potions homework. Apparently, it wasn't the thing Hermione had on her mind.

"Harry, what's up with you and Malfoy?"

"Why, Hermione?" Harry asked innocently, avoiding the question by pretending to be interested in a paragraph about Pepper-Up Potion.

"You're constantly talking about him, asking about him and observing him. I don't even think you've noticed how much you do it."

"I'm not," Harry denied pathetically he knew he was inquiring about him a lot recently, but he wasn't entirely sure what the exact reason for his obsession was.

"You are Harry, so be honest with me and tell me _what's going on_." Hermione's eyes pierced through him and Harry looked at his feet.

"I already told you, I think something's wrong with him, I just have no idea what." If Harry's suspicions were correct, Malfoy had been given a task to do. But, from the events of Valentine's Day, he was unsure of whether Draco was up to it or not. Maybe he didn't want to be a Death Eater, after all.

"Yes, and you're convinced Voldemort's involved, aren't you?" Hermione continued. She wasn't about to leave him alone.

"No. I mean, aren't you?"

"No. I have no idea what's wrong with him, but he's not different from last year." Maybe Hermione was blind, because Harry could almost definitely tell something was spinning inside Malfoy's mind. However, she hadn't seen him looking through that window. She hadn't seen him read that letter. She hadn't seen him cry.

"He is, believe me." Harry wanted to drop this.

"How can you know?"

"I – don't know."

"You're hiding something for me, aren't you Harry?" That girl could read anyone's mind, and Harry wanted to curse her for that.

"Is this the reason why you wanted to study?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you for a while. I heard you talking to Ron."

"Yeah, I could tell you were listening. Or should I say eavesdropping?"

"We're friends, Harry," Hermione agonised, concern etched onto her face. He hated it when she did that. He didn't do anything wrong, did he? He was just making sure Malfoy wasn't up for something, right?

Harry sighed. "I know. Just drop it, please."

"Promise we'll talk about it later?"

"Promise," Harry said, turning a page in his book. He hadn't seen the determined look on his friend's face. He only wanted to get his mind off things. Off of Malfoy.

Draco trudged to the library to find a book for Ancient Runes he took with the Mudblood. Of course, the know-it-all was already in her favourite place, and Draco was annoyed, and pleased, to see Potter sitting in front of her.

He went to get the book from the shelf and found himself standing rather close to their table, albeit out of sight.

"I already told you, I think something's wrong with him. I just have no idea what."

Malfoy's heart skipped a beat. Potter was worried for him? Why did the Hero have to be so observant? He had seen him that night, but that didn't mean anything, did it? Didn't everybody cry once in a while? Draco didn't know. He put the book he had in his hands back on the shelf and looked for a better one.

"Yes, and you're convinced Voldemort's involved, aren't you?" Draco heard the Mudlblood say.

He felt a pinch in his chest; just a small one. Potter wasn't concerned for _him. _He was concerned for his stupid Light Side. Draco could just step around the corner and kill the boy, but he didn't, because he had helped those few weeks ago.

Draco felt his temper rising. He took the book back from the shelf and stormed out of the library, cursing under his breath He didn't want to see Potter and his stupid glasses anymore. What had he been thinking? That Potter would all of a sudden _like _him?

He was starting to act like a bloody Hufflepuff. Draco strode into his dormitory and tried to focus on his school work, but he couldn't help but see the green eyes before his face, their faces only inches away under the invisibility cloak.

What was wrong with him?

**To be continued…**

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Teaming Up

**Here's the next Chapter. I hope you like it! I adapted the lay out a little, cause it was a bit cramped together and hard to read. Linebreaks are fixed! **

Chapter 4  
Teaming up

Pansy had been restless ever since Draco had told her about his feelings about the letter. Draco had been furious about it, but Pansy didn't even know what he was talking about. Of course, Draco had thought Pansy was acting like her stupid self, but she really didn't have a clue.

So, she had sneaked into Draco's dormitory and read the offending paper. Scanning the letter quickly, her eyes widened as she read what she had presumably wrote. She had been shocked at first, of course, because she had no idea why she would want to marry Draco. As a matter of fact, she was in love with Blaise, _Madly_ in love with Blaise. He was such a nice, and tough, guy, and Pansy had had a soft spot for him ever since first year, but Blaise didn't know that. She hadn't ever had the guts to tell him.

She had no intention of ever marrying Draco. It had been a foolish idea of her parents and, of course, Draco's parents, but she wasn't about to let the fate that her parents chosen for her guide her into a boring life with Draco. No. She would fight to have Blaise.

First of all, she would have to come up with a way to get her and Draco out of the arranged marriage. What were they thinking? They didn't live in the seventeenth century. But how could she convince both their parents not to proceed with their decisions?

She had no idea. She had been she had been thinking it over for a while now, but nothing came to her. She needed help, but who could she possibly ask something so delicate? Draco would throw a fit if he heard it was a set-up, and she couldn't tell Blaise because, well, it was Blaise.

Who was smart enough?

The smartest girl in school was Hermione Granger, but she couldn't ask a _Gryffindor_.

Hermione knew something was going on with Harry and Malfoy. She would eat all of her books if it wasn't so. There had always been something between those boys, she, as a girl, could sense such things.

Harry was hiding something; something that hadn't happened long ago. She was certain Malfoy had something to do with it because Harry wouldn't stop talking about and looking at him. She even presumed Harry was _dreaming_ about the blonde Slytherin.

But how could she figure everything out?

She would have to come up with a plan, but she couldn't do it alone. She couldn't ask for Ron's help because he was convinced Malfoy would hex the life out of Harry. For some reason, Hermione doubted this statement.

Who could possibly know as much about the boys' situation as she did?

Maybe Pansy Parkinson, but the stubborn girl would never help her, would she?

Hermione was studying in the Library – to no one's surprise – to prepare for the exams, which were looming nearer. Even though it was only the end of February, they had to know a large amount of subject material. She was starting to feel that someone was staring at her, when she spotted Parkinson in the library. She rarely came there, so it was slightly suspicious.

Hermione paid no attention to this development and continued studying. After a few minutes, she changed her mind and closed her book.

Pansy was the only one who could help her in this situation. Being in a different house couldn't affect her investigation in this case.

She walked up to Pansy, feeling her nervousness increase as she came closer. "Hi, Pansy. Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Pansy seemed to hesitate for a few moments. "Sure." Hermione had no idea why Pansy agreed, but she didn't care.

They left the Library, because Madame Pince had began to shoot them angry glances.

"What did you want to talk about?" Pansy asked casually. Hermione never thought Pansy could talk in a civilised manor, but was happy with the news.

"I wanted to ask you something. You're the only one who would be able to help me."

"Why on earth would I help you, Granger?" Pansy barked.

Hermione was startled for a moment, but she had already gone too far to stop now.

"Because, Pansy, I think there's something going on between Harry and M – Draco," Hermione said, correcting herself.

"Are we suddenly on first name basis now?" Parkinson couldn't have been a greater pain in the arse.

"I just thought, since you're his best friend and such, maybe you would want to help him, and I want to help Harry so …" Hermione trailed off. This was leading nowhere.

"There's something going on between Draco and Potter? What then?"

"I – that's what I need to figure out. I just know Harry's been acting weird and I wanted to start by asking you if Draco's been acting weird too."

"Well, yes he has, but I don't think Potter has anything to do with it, so keep your nosy head out of his business."

"Oh. Well then. Thank you for your time," Hermione said, turning around.

Pansy had been hesitating to talk to the Gryffindor, but something withheld her. She had come to the library to talk to the girl, but had chickened out when she saw her.

But then Granger came up to her - it was her shot – and she went outside with her and wondered what Granger could possibly want. Maybe she could ask for her help in return.

But being the Slytherin she was, she had to screw it up and chase away the brown haired girl in front of her. She had come so far and would go back to zero if she let Granger go.

"Hey, Granger, wait." Granger turned around, but wasn't convinced yet.

"I – I wanted to ask you a favour too. Maybe we can work together or something."

"With what?" Granger asked suspiciously. Pansy bit her lip.

"Well, Draco and I have been put up to marry each other, but we don't want to. Draco doesn't know I don't want to, but… that's the reason why Draco's been off a bit."

"Oh. Well, that's complicated. I had suspected them to… to be _in love,_" Hermione said. Pansy was astonished.

"Draco in love with Potter? Hell no!"

"Well. Maybe that could be your way out of the marriage."

"How could it be?" Pansy asked, worried, but still hopeful.

"We'll have to come up with a plan…"

Draco was still pissed off. Although it had been a full four days since he had overheard the Gryffindork's conversation, he was still angry with the lousy Hero.

For a moment, he had thought Potter cared. Not cared _for _him, just cared _about _him. Cared about what was wrong, just to help, or to fulfill his hero complex. But it wasn't even that. It wasn't even close. He saw Draco as a threat for Hogwarts.

However, who wouldn't see him as a threat? He had the Dark Mark after all; they had made him take it. When it came to his Father in front of the Dark Lord, Draco didn't stand a chance. The Dark Lord could be so slippery and sticky when it came to his followers, but Draco saw through that. He didn't care about them, he just cared about Potter, and getting to Potter. Since Draco was in school with him, he would lead him straight to his prize.

Or, that was what they thought would happen.

Right now, his thoughts were preoccupied with that stupid marriage. Why did they have to make his life so difficult? Of course, he didn't want to marry Pansy. She wasn't worthy of him, not even close. Even though he was worried about the wedding, it had made him think of his Father, the person who had done this to him.

And that's where his worries had started to drift from the marriage to other things. That's how he was reminded of his task. He had recieved his task from the Dark Lord during the Christmas Holidays. And that was the part where Draco became soft; that's where he was scared for Potter. He imagined how it felt to stand eye-to-eye with The Dark Lord, to fight him like Potter had done, more than once.

He admired the courage that the boy could conjure, to even look the Master of Dark Magic in the eye. His eyes were frightening, even to Draco, and Draco had lived through some frightening stuff himself, to say the least.

But Potter wasn't scared. He didn't look scared. Draco couldn't imagine how hard it must be to think about that every single day of your whole life. Something that huge didn't leave your mind, not ever. Just like the Dark Mark neither left Draco's mind, nor his arm.

Still, he remained angry.

It wasn't surprising that when he ran into him after Defense Against the Dark Arts, they started a fight. Why did they even have to have classes together?

"Look where you're going, Potter," Malfoy spat.

Harry should have seen this coming. He had hoped that Malfoy would be a little friendlier after the incident, but he hadn't seen any change, not in the last few weeks. They hadn't talked since that day, but they hadn't fought either, so Harry had gotten his hopes up that he had started to get through the Malfoy barrier.

"I'm sorry," Harry replied, a little too late. It was obvious he hadn't been paying attention, but the reason for that had just ran into him.

"Planning something again?"

"No. What's your problem all of a sudden?" Harry felt a little awkward and attacked by Malfoy's sudden outburst.

"I don't have a problem, Potter. I just don't like people discussing me behind my back."

"Who's discussing you behind your back?" Harry asked.

"You, idiot. I heard you talking to the Mudblood in the library. Planning on saving the world again, are we?"

"No. I'm not. I just –"

"You're trying to figure out what I'm up to. I don't need an explanation, Potter. I heard it loud and clear."

"That – I – you weren't supposed to hear that." Harry was tumbling over his words. What was he even trying to say? He didn't want Malfoy to hear that, because he cared? Because he wanted to help?

"Obviously not."

"I mean, it's not what it looks like. I just wanted to figure out what was in your letter that day and why you were so..." Harry trailed off. He would never say to Malfoy that he looked 'sad'. Malfoys didn't want to be called sad. He could already see the Slytherin's face scrunch up with anger.

"Suspicous? Up to something?" Malfoy completed for him. "Trust me Potter, you and your stupid school can piss off."

"This is not about the school, Malfoy." Harry had difficulties trying to find the right words to say to the blonde boy. Why was it that every time they talked, they had to fight?

"Then what is it about?"

"Since when did you start caring what I think about you?" Harry had to defend himself, otherwise it would become obvious. He didn't want Malfoy to find out how he really felt. He hadn't even found out himself what was really going on inside his head.

Malfoy didn't respond immediately. Harry wondered why, just as Malfoy answered. "What makes you think I do?"

"Stop asking the questions again. You just said you didn't like people talking behind your back."

"Exactly. I said 'people'. Not you."

Now it was Harry's turn to be silent. What was wrong with him? Why didn't he want to fight with Malfoy anymore? Why did he care so much all of a sudden?

"You know, I didn't mean what I said that day. I just didn't want Hermione to find out about the Invisibility cloak incident." It had slipped out of his mouth before he could think twice. They hadn't even mentioned it.

"Yeah right Potter. If that's the truth, I'm going to grow a beard as long as Dumbledore's."

"You don't have to believe me, I don't care, and I'm late for class."

"Well, go ahead and run, Potter. You wouldn't want to disappoint the teachers, now, would you?"

"I – you're such a pain in the arse, Malfoy. Remember, I had your back on Valentine's Day."

"Whatever, Potter."

They each went their own way; Harry pissed off at Malfoy for not admitting what had happened that night. Was he trying to forget the best part of that day? Probably, it was the worst part of Malfoy's day. Harry was also pissed off at having being overheard talking about a private subject in the library. Malfoy didn't have to hear that! What did he think about him?

Harry stopped in his tracks to think about what he had said again. Malfoy wouldn't be thinking about _him. _Why on earth would he do that? He hated Harry's guts. Big time.

Harry wasn't so sure if he still hated the Draco. He couldn't imagine how it would feel to be Malfoy. He never had parents, but Malfoy had parents that didn't care about his wellbeing, which was pretty much the same.

Harry would be terrified if he was forced to join the Dark side. Of course, he would rather die than accept the Dark Mark, but he could understand why Malfoy probably had it on his arm right now. He hoped he didn't take it, but inside, Harry knew that his pale white arm was tattooed with black ink.

What he hoped for even more was that Malfoy hadn't actually wanted the Mark. If he was wrong about that, Malfoy was surely up to no good, and Harry would have put his faith in the wrong person. He didn't want that. He remembered the way they had stood there, staring at each other. The way those dull grey eyes had lit up, for a reason Harry couldn't quite place.

That was all that Harry could think about all day. Those grey eyes.

Draco was agitated. He couldn't stop his thoughts from going back to the corridor. Potter had seemed so honest when he told him his excuse, but he couldn't believe the sodding Chosen One. Who did he think Draco was? He wasn't a loyal Gryffindor like him.

_You're starting to look more and more like a Hufflepuff._ Draco shook his head. Maybe that was true. When Potter had mentioned the the Invisibility cloak incident, his heart had skipped a beat.

He had thought Potter would have forgotten all about it, to not be reminded of it ever again, but no. He had brought it up.

Of course, he remembered how the _hero _had had his back on Valentine's Day. How could he forget? The way they stood there. It had been more than _having his back_.

If Potter hadn't seen it, he needed new glasses.

He wanted to take those glasses off. He was sure his green eyes would be even brighter when they weren't covered by them.

That was all Draco could think about all day. Those green eyes.

**To be continued…  
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	5. Chapter 5: The note

**This is the next chapter. Don't know how long the story's going to be yet. Keep reviewing, it means a lot! I hope you enjoy. **

**Betaed by Siriuslyholly: You did an amazing job, making my story perfect!**

Chapter 5:  
The note

Hermione and Pansy had been trying to figure something out that would help them both. Pansy wanted to get out of the marriage, without Draco taking all the blame, and Hermione wanted to test if Harry had a soft spot for Draco, and vice versa.

They had already talked things over a bit, but somehow, they had trouble finding time to be alone. Even though Hermione was the more _mature_ one, and could put their Houses aside, it remained difficult.

Both came to the conclusion that they would have to bring the boys together. If Draco was dating Harry, there would be no way that Lucius Malfoy would make him marry Pansy.

Maybe that was exaggerated, but when Pansy's parents found out about the Slytherin's preferences, they would never let their precious daughter marry him, so the marriage would be stopped. And, if Harry were pushed in Draco's direction, and had some hidden feelings for him, they would certainly pop out.

If their plan worked, Draco would take no blame at all, because he would be madly in love with the Boy Who Lived. So, all would be well that ends well!

Hermione was quite proud of herself for coming to those conclusions, and Pansy herself was quite proud of managing to hook up with a bloody Gryffindor. The girls had united their girlpowers to come up with a plan.

Harry was a little out of balance the next day. Hermione was very cheerful, but Harry didn't pay attention to it; he let his thoughts fly to the other side of the Great Hall at breakfast, to a certain blonde Slytherin boy. He had been thinking, and had figured out that Malfoy _had _ to care what happened, since he had come to him the day before. He had mentioned the conversation with Hermione, so Malfoy obviously cared about what Harry said about him. But then again...

Harry had thought it over and over again, but couldn't come to a complete conclusion. He doubted it _was_ true but somehow it couldn't be _untrue_, could it?

"Why are you so cheerful at this ungodly hour?" Ron asked Hermione when he joined the table. Harry had tried to wake him up several times that morning, but the redhead wouldn't get up, so Harry had left him sleeping.

"Probably the thought of having a day filled with studying," Harry teased, but it was Ron's face that fell. Hermione looked up from her plate and giggled.

"Try to get in your bed sooner, Ronald, you won't feel so tired and be a bit happier if you get more sleep."

"Like that would bloody help," Ron scoffed.

"Eating helps," Harry said, trying to cheer Ron up.

"Thanks mate, it does." Ron began eating and Harry took a sip from his chocolate-flavoured milk. He stole a glance to the Slytherin table. Malfoy was seated with his back to Harry and for some reason, Harry thought it was a pity.

It wasn't until Defence against the Dark Arts that something eventful happened. First of all, Harry was in a class together with Malfoy, which made it all the more interesting. He still wanted to find out about the letter, so kept watching Malfoy as if at any moment something would be written on his forehead.

Harry tried to keep his attention on another boring explanation from Snape about Banshees, but lost it completely when a peice of folded parchment fluttered towards his desk. Harry grabbed it and opened it up.

_Meet me in the Trophy Room at midnight._

That was all it said. For a moment, Harry thought it was a joke. The Trophy Room... the only time he had been invited there was – by Malfoy! Of course, this was Malfoy's note. Why did he want to meet? Harry was suddenly very nervous. Why didn't he just talk to him here? Why in private?

"Potter, would you mind keeping your attention on my class, please. I know it's very hard for you," Snape sneered. The Slytherins laughed at his remark, but Harry just blinked at the professor and put his note away so that he wouldn't see it.

"So, furthermore, the Banshee's cry can deafen people, and in the worst cases, kill." Harry didn't pay attention to what Snape was saying. He could defend himself against the Dark Arts himself, thank you very much. A few years experience with Lord Voldemort had made Harry even better than Hermione in this particular subject, which made it a lot more bearable to spend it with Snape, of all people. He could make his snide remarks, but he couldn't fail him anymore.

Harry was dealing with a certain platinum blond boy in his head. The Ferret couldn't have send him this note, and even if he had, they would most definitely not be having a nice little chit-chat. Whoever send it had to be in this room. Harry looked around, but his efforts weren't helped further by seeing his friend's faces and the Slytherin's annoying grins.

On the other side of the room, Draco was taking notes, thinking about the day before and his disappointment in the black haired boy sitting across the room.

Throughout the years, he had expected their rivalry to lessen a bit, but to the contrary, Potter hated him all the more. All he ever wanted was to be friends with Potter, but he had refused it. That was the biggest mistake that stupid Gryffindor had ever made.

He was pulled out of his reverie when a note landed on his desk.

_Meet me in the Trophy Room at midnight._

Who could that possibly be from? It wasn't from Pansy, as she was seated next to him and would've asked it right away. The Trophy Room... The only time he'd even talked about that stupid room was in first year. He hadn't even been there; he had just wanted to set Harry up.

Potter? He couldn't have written this. Impossible. He would've asked to his face, with his filthy mouth. Draco's thoughts drifted off to Potter's mouth; his red lips. He could almost feel how hot they would taste.  
Draco shook his head and read the note again. Well, he would see who had written this when he arrived in the Trophy Room. He hoped it wasn't a foolish trick like he had done in his first year, but they weren't eleven anymore. He tried to pay attention to Snape again, but somehow it wasn't as easy anymore.

Draco had been trying to ignore the bespectacled green eyes, but he couldn't help himself when he heard Snape say his name. He turned to look at Potter and saw that he was as distracted as he was. What was he up to? He never seemed to pay attention in classes anymore, Draco could tell. He never wrote anything down. He tore his gaze away again, which was harder than turning his head to the boy.

He tried to be interested in Banshees, but it didn't work anymore. After all, nothing could compare to the Chosen One.

At midnight, Harry hurried to the Trophy Room. He had brought his invisibility cloak, just in case someone wanted to set him up for Filch to catch him out after curfew, like Malfoy had done in first year. He entered the room, only to find Malfoy staring at one of the trophies.

"Malfoy. You sent me the note?"

"Potter! What? You send _me _a note, dumbass. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't."

"No, I've got your note in my pocket." Malfoy scowled as Harry pulled the folded note out."Here."

"You're kidding me right? I didn't send that. I got just the same note from you."

"I already told you, I didn't –"

Malfoy showed him the note and Harry went silent.

"Someone must've tried to get us together," Harry stated simply.

"I already had that figured out, Potter. You should leave the thinking to me."

"My apologies, _smarthead_. What are you going to do about it?"

"No idea. I guess we go to our dormitories again."

"I brought my invisibility cloak," Harry said. He didn't know why he said it, but it brought up one memory in particular. Malfoy's face changed, Harry couldn't tell which emotion was on it, but he rather liked it."Wanna see?" Harry said. He didn't know where that had come from.

"W – why would I wanna see your stupid cloak, Potter?"

"Stuttering all of a sudden, Malfoy?" Harry stepped forward into the room until he was stood four foot away from the blonde.

"This is ridiculus. Why are we even here?" Malfoy crossed his arms and looked desperately around the room. The trophies were reflected their confused faces reflecting in it.

"I have no clue, Malfoy. No one's stopping you from leaving." Harry looked pissed off. No, he _was_ pissed, because somehow, he had had expectations. He had not been expecting _this._ It was rather disappointing. Malfoy was disappointing. He never gave him a break. Not once.

Harry stopped himself. Gave him a break? Was he getting sentimental? Malfoy spoke, making him snap out of his thoughts.

"Well, no one's stopping you, either."

"Whatever. Who do you think would have set this up?" Harry tried to make conversation, which wasn't working so far.

"No idea, really. I just know it must be the most stupid person in the world," Malfoy sighed.

"Yeah. It's rather obvious that we're not friends."

"Not friends? Hell, Potter we're practically arch-enemies." Harry knew that all too well, but had just ignored it.

"I know that. You didn't have to say it like that."

"Like what?" Malfoy kept being his snarky self. Harry didn't have to – or want to - put up with this. Not at all. However, It was true what the snakey boy was saying: no one stopped him from leaving.

"Nevermind." Harry started to turn around ready to leave.

Draco didn't expect Potter to enter the room. Potter, of all people. He had hoped it a little, but he didn't think it would become reality.

"No, Don't leave," Draco said quickly, as Potter made his way back to the door again. Why didn't he want the boy to leave? Why did he say that?

"What?" Potter asked, sounding rather frustrated. Draco knew his protective mask had fallen, and he didn't want the leader of the Golden Trio sticking his nose in his business.

"Why did you bring up the damn cloak?" Draco asked, having nothing better to say at that moment.

Harry span round, confusion in his eyes. "I – don't know. I brought it with me so no one would catch me walking around the castle at night." He took a step forward again.

"I figured that already. Why did you ask me if I wanted to see it?" Draco was getting his mask up again. Good. And the Gryffindor wasn't leaving anymore.

"Not everybody has an invisibility cloak. I thought it might be nice to... try it on."

"No one has an invisibility cloak, except you, Potter, and I already have tried it on," Draco answered, referring to Valentine's Day. Potter's face became darker and Draco had to refrain from smirking. The Chosen One was flushing, over _him_.

"Are we done now?" Draco felt a pinch of betrayal. Why did the stupid Gryffindor want to leave so fast? Was he such an annoying company? Also, why didn't Draco want to leave himself? He had no reason to talk to Potter at all. Somehow, he couldn't withhold himself.

"Why do you want to leave so badly, Potter? Afraid I'll hex you?" Draco didn't know better than to put his mask on, it was the only thing he had to keep his emotions safe. It was obvious Potter hadn't seen what had been going on between them that day.

Blind moron.

"No. I'm not afraid. Are you challenging me?" Potter took another step forward. This was where Draco wanted the boy.

"Yeah, I am."

"Well, come on then." Draco stepped forward and stopped a centimetre away from Potter's face. Just like under the cloak. Their breaths crossed.

"Maybe you can try the cloak on me now, Potter," Draco said, his words falling onto Potters lips. The latter just gulped.

They fell silent for a while. Draco didn't dare to do anything. He didn't know what to say either. And then, out of the blue, Potter leant forward, crossed the remaining centimetre and kissed Draco on the lips.

Draco felt as if he was burning up. Potter's lips were heating up his entire body. The warmth felt very comfortable and Draco leaned into the kiss. This was exactly how Draco had imagined it his entire life. Time seemed to fade as they stood together.

Until...

"I fucking knew it!" Potter yelled. Draco took a step back, having no idea what the teen was talking about, but soon, realisation dawned on him. Potter had pulled up his sleeve and the Dark Mark was reflecting in the trophies. He quickly pulled it down again, but the moment was ruined.

"I just knew you were one of them. I just knew! How could you even –" But Harry realised he didn't want to be in one room with the blonde anymore and left in a rush, only leaving behind a soft breeze. Draco could feel his lips turn cold and he closed his eyes slowly.

He slid down against the wall. Why did that have to happen? Why did the stupid Gryffindor had to pull up his sleeve?

Potter must have kissed him to get to him. He must have used him to know the truth. The liar. The disgusting git! Draco _hated_ this boy. Potter would never like him! How stupid was he actually to even have considered Potter feeling what he had felt under that annoying cloak of his? What was happening to his mind?

Draco wrapped his arms around his legs and a silent tear fell down his cheek. It was all over now.

Harry was furious. One moment he was kissing the Slytherin in front of him, the other moment he saw his frightening tattoo on his pale skin. He was shocked and didn't know how to react at first. And then he had just lost it.

He knew Malfoy would be like that. Accepting the Dark Mark equaled signing the contract to _hate Harry Potter_. What had he been thinking? What had crept up in his head to kiss him? He had _kissed_ Draco Malfoy.

Suddenly, it dawned on him what a big mistake he had made. It was all the fault of the person who had brought them together. But on the other hand, he knew the truth now. He knew that Malfoy was a liar and a _Death Eater. _

Malfoy was one of Voldemort's puppets. Harry had hoped inside, without telling anyone, Malfoy wouldn't be like that. He was wrong.

He had been wrong all along.

**To be continued…**

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Hurt

**This is the next chapter. I hope you guys like where this is going. Lots of thank you's to my loyal readers! Enjoy!**

**This chapter's been betaed by the amazing SiriuslyHolly. Thanks Holly for all your superb work!  
**

***Line breaks fixed***

Chapter 6  
Hurt

Harry entered the Great Hall with bags under his eyes. He hadn't slept at all; he kept having nightmares about Malfoy handing him over to Voldemort. He didn't know why his mind was making him so afraid, but it happened unwillingly.

"Hi," Harry greeted his friends with a chunk in his throat.

"Hi, Harry. What's up with you?" Hermione asked. She had expected to see him happy after what had presumably happened last night. But, he was the opposite. She looked at the Slytherin table and saw the same situation there.

It obviously hadn't worked out then.

"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep."

"That was bloody obvious, mate. You kept talking in your sleep, you know, about Malfoy," Ron remarked.

"Huh?" Harry let out absently. He was craving to tell them the news, but on the other hand, he'd rather keep it to himself.

"Yeah, and about You-Know-Who, but you dream about him more often, don't you?" Ron smiled sympathetically. Harry returned the smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Nothing could brighten his day, not even the way Ron could talk about Voldemort so easily now.

He did admire that about his friend. Knowing that Ron actually knew how hard it was to think about Voldemort all the time, well, it lit him up inside.

But not now.

"You dreamed about Malfoy?" Hermione asked, very curiously. Harry looked at her, not knowing where her interest came from, but being very aware of the fact that she had been observing him closely since he arrived. He wasn't going to tell her about last night, not after that time in the library. She already knew too much.

"I can't remember it though," Harry sighed, taking a slice of ham, but not eating it.

"Where did you go last night then?" she demanded. Harry pulled an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I went somewhere last night?" Harry blurted. Hermione was really getting on his nerves. What did she know about it? Had she seen them?

"I heard you leave, that's all." Hermione wasn't about to push it any further, because she knew it would give her away. She already had gone far enough to cause some suspicion.

"I just went for a walk; I do that often, remember?" Harry snapped. His temper was rising but he didn't want to fight with his friends. "And that's what I'll do now, or I'll explode for the whole school to see."

Harry stood up again and left in a rush. He climbed the marble stairs and heard footsteps behind. Who was following him now? Hermione? Malfoy?

Harry was surprised to see that it was Ron.

"Mate, I heard you leave too, but I didn't think you wanted to be bothered about it."

"Thanks, Ron."

"Hermione can be a pain in the ass sometimes," Ron joked. Harry felt his anger drain, washed away by Ron's casual talk. It was nice to have a friend like Ron. He liked Hermione a lot, but Ron remained his _best _friend. He loved that he was never pushy.

"Yeah, a little. I'm just a bit confused right now, really. I know I've been absent lately."

"You could say that. But hey, it's all right. What do you say about getting some Quidditch practice in?"

"Sounds great."

Draco felt like shit. Everything went wrong, and when he didn't think it could get worse, Potter brought it down again. Draco couldn't hold it in anymore; he couldn't stand putting his mask on right now. He wanted to be alone.

He searched the corridors for somewhere that no one went and soon his feet had dragged him to the second-floor girl's bathroom, where, in second year, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. He leant on the circle of sinks and looked at himself in the mirror.

What a joke. Did he even dare to call himself a Malfoy? He hadn't been able to please the Dark Lord, nor had he been able to stand up against him. He had disappointed his father. He would eventually have to marry _Pansy_, and the only hope since that horrible day in the Manor had been Potter. But that spark had died away too, now.

A tear trickled down Draco's cheek.

"What's wrong, boy?" a high pitched voice questioned. All Draco had wanted was to be alone, but yet again, that was too much to ask.

"What's wrong?" the voice whispered again, and Draco looked up in the mirror to see the ghost of Moaning Myrtle standing behind him.

"Leave me alone." Malfoy looked down in the sink again, hoping she would disappear if she was ignored.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Myrtle came closer to the mirror, watching Draco with sympathy.

"I'm not crying. I'm – Merlin. I can't take this anymore. My life is a living hell." Draco raised his fist, and smashed the mirror in pieces in an attempt to get rid of his anger. He then pulled out his wand to fix it again, before healing the broken and bleeding skin on his hand.

"I know all about it. You should lighten your heart up."

"How can you know? You've been dead for –" but Draco stopped at Myrtle's expression. He shouldn't have brought that up.

"JUST BECAUSE I'M DEAD, IT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING!" Moaning Myrtle shouted, and for a second, Draco was scared.

"You wouldn't understand. It's too complicated," Draco sighed, for feeling so miserable and for now having an annoying partner wanting to hear all about it.

"I don't have to understand. You just tell me, and then it'll be out of your brain." Maybe it was worth a shot.

"It's just – I'll have to be the one to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord. It's him, or me."

Moaning Myrtle stayed quiet.

"I can't do it. I just can't. I'm trying my hardest but I just don't seem capable of doing well for anyone!"

Draco bent over and tears fell quickly. His legs started to tremble, but he didn't fall.

"It's all right, Draco. It'll be fine in the end. Plus, dying doesn't hurt all that much." Myrtle smiled at him and went to pat him on the back, but stopped halfway, realising her ghostly limbs would just sail through him.

"That helps a lot," Draco hiccupped sadly.

Harry was wandering around the castle, after having had an amazing time flying around the forest, his thoughts landing on Malfoy again. How did this happen? Why did they kiss? He wasn't even attracted to men. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment, like that time under the cloak.

However, this time, Harry had made a huge mistake. He had kissed a Death Eater. If he had known that was what he was, he would never have done it. Now, he regretted it so much.

It had been wonderful; a whole new world opening up in his mind: a world without fame, without the Dark Lord, without The Chosen One. Just Harry. Just Harry and Draco. No Malfoy, no hate. It had felt so real.

Harry shook his head. He needed to be alone. Hermione would probably already be looking for him, as if he were hiding something. Actually, he _was_ hiding something, but he was allowed to have some privacy once in a while, wasn't he?

He found himself walking past a bathroom he knew very well, Moaning Myrtle's residence, and was surprised to hear her talking to someone. Curious, Harry pushed open the door.

"That helps a lot," he heard someone say, and he immediately reached for his wand, just in case. But then he saw who it was. It was Malfoy. Tears were streaming out of his sad grey eyes, making them look cloudy and even darker than usual. They were starting to get bloodshot, and his tears had left tracks on his cheeks. Harry stood still for a moment.

"Oh, hi Harry," Myrtle beamed, a smile crossing her transparent features.

"Potter!" Malfoy yelped, whipping around to face Harry and pulling out his wand.

Harry was struck dumb momentarily, but then he reminded himself of the tattoo on Draco's arm and forgot the crying face. He had to forget the crying face, otherwise things would get ugly.

"Malfoy, up to no good again?" His voice was low and harsh, which was not how it normally sounded.

"This room is occupied. Didn't they teach you to knock?"

"It's a public toilet, I don't have to knock. I'm just checking you haven't opened the school to Voldemort yet." Harry saw Malfoy wince at the use of his master's name. He felt sorry for being so cruel, but swallowed his feelings quickly, before he became all soft again.

"Just get the hell away from me, Potter!" Malfoy raised his wand, but Harry was quicker.

"_Stupefy_!" A red beam of light shot out of Harry's wand but Malfoy blocked it and sent "_Expelliarmus_" back at Harry.

Harry ducked down, thanking his Quidditch skills for his maneuverability and hid behind a toilet stall. He could hear Malfoy's footsteps coming closer, and as they did, Harry felt his anger grow. How did Malfoy have the nerve to attack him? Okay, he had already drawn his wand in protection, but he wasn't about to throw a spell at him, except in defense.

"_Rictusempra_!" Harry shot his spell under the door, but it missed Malfoy by inches. Harry crawled under to the next, probably safer, cabin. What were they doing? This was insane.

"_Diffindo_!" The door in front of Harry was splintered apart and Harry had to slide to the left to avoid being stabbed with a sharp piece of wood. This was really crazy. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Frustration got the better part of him and he just went with the duel.

"_Furnunculus_!" Another toilet stall was hit with the curse. Malfoy hid behind the sinks and searched for a glimpse of Harry.

"_Incarcerous_!" Malfoy missed Harry and found himself flat against the wall. He had to end this.

"_Sectumsempra_!" The spell he had read in his Potions book blurted out of his mouth. Suddenly, the room went still. Myrtle was nowhere to be seen, and Harry stepped forward, looking at the feet of Draco Malfoy. His anger was ebbing away, fear starting to boil up inside his stomach when Malfoy didn't move.

As his spell had hit the Slytherin, three deep cuts were made. Blood started to poor out of the wounds, mingling with the spilled water from the sinks and toilets.

"Malfoy. Malfoy! Are you okay? Shit! I'm so sorry, I didn't..."

All Malfoy did was making a gurgling sound in his throat. Harry started to panic. What had he done? He had to find someone, right away.

But what was he going to say? That didn't matter now. Malfoy was dying, and for a moment, Harry didn't care about himself or what his punishment for this would be. He ran out of the bathroom and dragged the first professor he could find back to the bathroom.

Harry couldn't have been more stupid to cast that spell. He didn't know what it would do when he used it, just that it was for _enemies, _yet he had used it nonetheless. Noon came, and the Golden Trio were sitting at the Great Hall at noon. First, Harry had refused, but Hermione had made him come. She was convinced that it was completely his fault and that he just had to face his own idiocy.

The news had spread like a wildfire.

"You nearly got him killed, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, as if he didn't know that already. "Honestly, it was very stupid of you, using a spell you didn't know anything about. It could've been worse than this. Luckily, Professor Snape knew how to help him." Hermione didn't fill her plate, she just looked at Harry worriedly.

"He attacked me. I just – I got angry, I didn't know what to do…" Harry knew how bad this was; he had known right away. When he had seen Malfoy laying there, covered in blood, all he wanted to do was turn back time. He needed to take away the pain going through Draco's body. He would be ready to suffer himself, just to make it undone. But he couldn't.

"It wasn't very smart. I'm really disappointed in you. I think you should apologise to Malfoy."

"What? I can't! I nearly killed him, you just said so yourself! He'll kill me if I go near him." Harry looked at Ron for help.

"I agree with Harry right now, Hermione. I think he'll kill him. Besides, Harry was just defending himself." Even after Ron's support, Harry knew he had crossed a line. The whole school shared the same opinion about the incident. The students didn't even try to keep it quiet. Harry felt like a beast.

"Ronald, don't interfere in things you don't understand. It's Harry's fault, so he has to fix it."

"I know, but it's still Malfoy," Ron mumbled, spooning some soup into his mouth quickly when he saw Hermione's look.

"No matter who it is, we don't kill them, Ron!" Hermione shouted. Some other students looked up, slightly annoyed.

"Okay okay, just keep it quiet," Ron whispered.

"Hermione's right, I have to fix it. I just don't know of anything that can make this all right again."

"You really think Malfoy's _such_ a bad person that he won't forgive you?"

"He's a Death Eater, 'Mione. I found out about it yesterday. That's why I was so angry, that's why we got into that fight. He knows that I know what he is. He'll never forgive me. He probably thinks I actually wanted to kill him."

"Just tell him you didn't. It might help." Hermione tried to sound soothing and convincing, but Harry could hear she knew there were few chances things would be all right again.

"He _really_ is a Death Eater? That dickhead!" Ron growled, looking at the Slytherin table to glare at Draco. However, Malfoy wasn't there, since he was being looked after by Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing.

"Yeah. I just had _hoped_ – never mind." Hermione looked at him pointedly.

"What?" Harry grumbled.

"Nothing." Hermione eyed the Slytherin table, searching for Pansy. The latter avoided her gaze, of course. She was really annoyed about what had happened, and had made it clear she would not talk to Hermione again. Their plan hadn't worked out. It had just made things worse.

Hermione knew she would have to get Pansy alone in order to talk, but that wasn't as easy as it sounded.

After the meal, Hermione excused herself. She went into the girls bathroom, through the door where Pansy had disappeared only moments ago.

"Parkinson, please," Hermione begged.

"Granger, leave me alone. I already told you to fuck off."

"Don't be like this. There's still a chance we could make it work."

"There isn't any _chance_, Mudblood. Your stupid friend almost killed Draco! You really believe I would let Potter be with Draco after he did that? I'd rather marry Draco myself."

"It's – Please."

"Bugger off." Parkinson snapped, before leaving. Hermione sighed. This really had been a stupid idea. She had just thought that those boys were – well, she would have to stop being so nosy. People had told her a hundred times, but, right now, she understood. She had gone too far.

You can't force love.

**To be continued...**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Punishment

**New Chapter! This is the last one before the exams… I'll update again in de second week of June. I hope you guys like it so far. Don't forget to review, 'cause it's really important to me, even if it's only one sentence! And ideas for the one shot collection are always welcome. ****Enjoy!**

**Now betaed by the wonderful SiriuslyHolly!**

Chapter 7  
Punishment

Draco didn't know what had happened to him. One moment he had opened up his heart to a stupid ghost and the next, Potter had barged in. What a mess.

They had dueled. Draco had crossed a line, he knew, but then Potter had _cursed_ him. With what he didn't know. All Draco knew was how much it had hurt.

He felt three invisible knifes cut him open, through his chest, right in the middle. Blood started to pour. He panicked. He wanted to cry for help, but nothing came out of his throat.

Waves of pain flooded through his body every time he tried to breathe. He opened his eyes and saw Potter standing beside him. What had he done to him? Why had he done this to him? Draco closed his eyes, wanting to vanish in the black stars appearing before him, but his body refused to give up. Draco trembled, not knowing the difference between the water and his own blood anymore.

Then Potter disappeared. It was over. He would leave him here to die. He had expected something from him, but not this. To make the situation even worse, all he could think about at that moment was that kiss. That invisibility cloak.

He would never be able to kiss Potter again. Never – Snape entered. What was Snape doing here? Draco tried to focus on his surroundings, but now that he wanted to stay conscious, he started to vanish into the darkness.

Trouble breathing. Pain. A hard bed. Where was he? He certainly couldn't be in the Slytherin common room. The beds were far more comfortable there.

That pain. He remembered pain. Only immense pain. Before the pain, a flash of light.

Potter's eyes. And then Draco remembered. Potter had tried to kill him. Potter had found out about his secret and had tried to solve it by himself. Draco sighed, but quickly regretted it. His lungs burned and his stomach was in searing pain. He spotted some water next to his bed, but couldn't reach for it.

What time was it? Draco didn't know. There wasn't anyone to be seen. It was probably night, then. A door opened, but no one entered. Draco closed his eyes again, it was too much to take in. Potter. The disappointment he felt in him.

And then Potter was standing next to him. At first, Draco thought he was having a nightmare. He went to scream, but his obvious alarm had warned him, and the Gryffindor placed his fingers on Draco's dried lips.

"Shh, wait," Harry shushed. Draco wanted to call Madam Pomfrey. Potter was here to finish him off, that was for sure. If his body hadn't ached so much, Draco would have pushed the hand away, but he couldn't.

"Just hear me out, please," Harry begged, his voice in a low whisper. Draco couldn't shake his head, his head was hurting too much. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want anything to do with Potter, ever again.

Harry had planned to visit Malfoy during the night. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't be walking around the Hospital Wing, so she couldn't prevent him from seeing him. He could picture the pursed lips of Madam Pomfrey very well. He had always been treated well by the nurse, but now, he had caused one of the other students terrible pain.

Harry put on his Invisibility cloak and made his way to the Hospital Wing with no trouble. Opening the door, he immediately saw Malfoy; he looked terrible. A terrible guilt began biting inside his ribcage as he stepped forward, his enemy – was he his enemy? – unable to see him.

Harry had caused this. He had never meant to hurt him. He didn't know what the spell would do, he had never expected it to attempt to _kill. _Hermione had been telling him throughout the evening that he should be grateful that he wasn't expelled. He didn't know why he wasn't.

Dumbledore had believed his innocence_. _But he wasn't innocent; he had cast the spell, and that was enough. He looked at the pale face, even paler now he had almost bled to death. His lips were almost transparent. He slipped off his cloak, and then Draco's grey eyes opened.

He looked alarmed.

"Shh, wait," Harry hissed, knowing Draco most likely wanted to scream for the nurse. He would do the same, if it was the other way around.

"Just hear me out, please," Harry begged. It was worrying that Malfoy wasn't responding, but it was already going way better than expected, so Harry didn't complain. Malfoy didn't say anything, so Harry continued.

"I didn't know what the spell would do. I... read it in a book somewhere, saying it was for enemies. I didn't think it would hurt you like that, Malfoy. I didn't mean to –"

"I hate you, Potter," Malfoy croaked, his voice hoarse.

Harry was shocked by the harshness in those words. "I understand," he answered, knowing he very well deserved it. "I hate myself too. I just... is there anything I can do?"

"Leave," Malfoy said, with some difficulty. Harry hadn't expected anything else.

"I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Malfoy remained silent and Harry figured it was probably better if he left.

* * *

The next day, Harry had to go see Dumbledore. They had told him he would – of course – be punished for his deeds, and they had waited a day to decide what he would have to do.

"Good evening, Professor," Harry said anxiously. Dumbledore nodded from behind his desk and gestured for Harry to sit down in the chair in front of him. Harry saw Snape was present too, hidden in the shadows of the office. Harry had made it possible for the man to even hate him more than he already did, and he wanted to run out the office, but withheld himself by looking at the Headmaster questioningly.

"Professor Snape and I have come up with a punishment. You've made an enormous mistake Harry. I'm sure you know what impact your spell has had on Draco. I'll leave it to Severus to tell you what you're to do." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled less than on other occasions. Harry turned to his Defence Against The Dark Arts professor with reluctance.

"Potter. As Mr. Malfoy will have to recover for several weeks, we ask you to help him with his homework, and such. You'll help him to keep up with the schoolwork, so he doesn't miss anything during his recovery. Nobody can help you with this. Not your friends, not the Slytherins, nobody. It will be your punishment. When Mr. Malfoy no longer needs your help, you'll be having detention with me for the rest of the year."

Harry would have been furious, but he knew his punishment was very reasonable. Helping Malfoy with his homework; that would be horrible. He hardly had time to complete his own. Besides, spending time with Malfoy would be awkward, to say the least. The boy despised him now, and even though he had been a bit obsessed with him for the last few weeks, it didn't mean Harry wanted to be with the boy for any length of time. Or every evening, come to that.

"This punishment starts tonight. You'll have to go see Mr. Malfoy right this instant. Do you understand?" Snape drawled. Harry nodded.

"Then you're free to go." Dumbledore didn't smile. Snape sneered. Harry got out of the tense room as quickly as he could manage.

Ron and Hermione had been waiting outside for him to come out and tell them what his punishment would be. Ron was furious at Snape for taking advantage of the situation, but Hermione mentioned it was a relatively light punishment.

Harry told them he had to go and see Malfoy and was soon off to the Hospital Wing again. He hoped that Malfoy had already been informed about the punishment.

"Hello, Malfoy," Harry greeted nervously. Malfoy looked up from a book.

"I'm here to help you with your homework." Harry didn't know how to act around Draco now. He felt so guilty, he would be capable of hugging the boy in front of the whole school. Harry banned that thought from his head and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"I know why you're here." Malfoy's complexion had gained more colour, but Harry heard weakness in his voice.

"Yeah. You're angry that it was all I got, right?"

"Yes. They should've cast that fucking spell on you, Potter. It would've made my day." Malfoy's eyes were like a winter storm, filled with hatred. Somehow, it got to Harry more than it used to.

"We'll do Transfiguration and Potions today, okay?" Harry proposed, ignoring the painful remark Malfoy had made.

"Whatever."

They worked without saying things that weren't absolutely necessary. Madam Pomfrey brought them some food, and after dinner they continued working. Harry realised he would probably have to eat here every evening.

At nine o'clock, Madame Pomfrey told them Malfoy needed to rest. Harry got up and faced the sullen-looking boy in the bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Harry said awkwardly, not knowing if that was a good thing to say.

"Unfortunately, you will."

Draco didn't look forward to the evening at all. He needed a lot of rest, and the explanations and homework were a lot to deal with in his condition.

And, of course, Potter was even more to deal with. The bastard had looked guilty, but Draco knew it was all some kind of show, until his innocence was proven. Potter hated his guts, so why would he ever feel sorry for what happened?

When you talk about the devil, he shows his tail. Potter entered the room at five-thirty and took a seat next to Draco's bed.

At Harry's questions about his work, Draco just nodded or shook his head. He didn't know why the Gryffindor wanted to start civil conversation. Probably because Pomfrey was breathing down his neck.

"Have you got it so far?" Harry asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes I do, Potter. I'm not a retard. I just happen to be disabled by some stupid spell of yours." Draco sank deeper in his cushions and looked at the parchment again.

"So, here's what we've got to do, you can probably do some of it tomorrow –" and Potter was off again with a boring tirade of explanations. Draco didn't feel like doing this. He felt like shit. His friends had only visited him once, claiming they were busy. The only one bothering to stop by was Pansy, but that reminded him of the future, and all the hours that he would be forced to spend with her.

"I can do that. Are we done now?"

"I think so. It's quarter-to-nine, so I guess I'll go; let you get some rest." Draco couldn't figure out how the Gryffindor could bring up this friendliness.

"That would be kind of you, Potter."

Potter left again, and Draco sighed. It felt even worse to be left alone. Potter wasn't actually that annoying; it was actually the school work that was so irritating. But that was also the only reason Potter came here, so he would have to stick with it.

Draco thought about his situation again. He had done that a lot in the past two days. How everything had led to this, and wondering where this would lead in the future. Why did Potter curse him? Did he know about his task? No, that couldn't be.

Green eyes flashed before Draco's. His face fell even more. The boy hated him. The boy hated him so much that he had cursed him. Draco couldn't even gather the anger to curse him back. To stay angry at him.

Draco tried to put on his mask every day. He pretended to be angry just because he was supposed to be upset. To be honest, he just was disappointed. He was sad. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and the Boy Who Had Kissed Him... didn't like him. Draco had to admit, he had started to like the hero. He was only the Boy Who Cursed Him, now.

It hurt to think about it. It hurt even more to have to spend hours with that very same boy, looking at him, observing, noticing how beautiful he actually was and realising Draco would never have that beauty.

Never.

**To be continued…**

**Please Review**


	8. Chapter 8: The visits

**Hi! I know it's been a while, but here's the next Chapter! I hope you still like it! Please review, so I know what you think! Enjoy!**

***Line breaks fixed*  
Now betaed by SiriuslyHolly! Amazing what she did to the story!**

Chapter 8  
The visits

Harry rushed to the Hospital Wing at noon, quickly grabbing some fruit and a selection of sandwiches, and yelling an excuse at Ron and Hermione.

He wanted to go see Malfoy. Not to study, just to sit and eat. Harry didn't know why he had that urge, but he had had the feeling all morning, so he went with it.

"Hi, Malfoy," Harry saluted, walking in. The blonde had his own plate of food on his lap. Harry sat down on his usual chair beside him.

"What are you doing here? You're too early." Malfoy was sitting up in his bed again, like he had done since the accident. Harry ignored the pit in his stomach.

"I'm not here to give you some school work. I'm here to say – uh... sorry."

"You already told me that, twit."

"I know. I just want you to know that I mean it. I'm really sorry for what I've done. Not for being so stupid to use a spell I didn't know; I'm sorry to have hurt you." Harry saw Malfoy's face stretch out a little and had to suppress a sigh of relief.

"It's all the same to me. Apologies accepted." Malfoy turned to his food again and Harry took a bite of cheese sandwich.

"Aren't you bored here?" Harry could feel the tension in the air and was surprised about how difficult it actually was to make normal conversation.

"Obviously."

"Well, when does Madam Pomfrey leave?"

"That stupid bitch doesn't go anywhere. She keeps me guarded like a dog." Malfoy's face scrunched up as he spoke and Harry had to suppress laughter.

"In that case, we could play some chess, if you'd like," Harry suggested.

"Give me one reason why you would want to play chess with me, Potter," Draco snorted.

"Come on Malfoy, stop being so annoying. Just go with it."

"I _went with it_ in the Trophy Room, Potter. Remember that?" Harry's face fell. He was shocked that Malfoy had the guts to bring that up. Harry remembered all too well how rude he had been.

"I – I'm sorry, for, uh… judging you like that. It was a shock, I admit, but I shouldn't have reacted that way," Harry apologised, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"You're generous on your apologies, Potter."

"I know when I screw up, Malfoy," Harry snapped, his temper rising. Apparently, opening up didn't work.

"Just drop it. I'm up for chess, let's do it," Malfoy said resignedly. Harry smiled and got up to go get the chessboard from the Gryffindor common room.

"Queen to A5," Malfoy ordered to his white chess peice. "Checkmate, Potter."

Harry grumbled, shrugging his shoulders. He had already lost so many times against Ron that he couldn't care less about losing against the Slytherin.

"Whatever. Are you up for another one?" Harry proposed, watching his pawns rearrange.

"I don't think so. You've already lost twice; three times would be pitiful. Besides, you have Charms."

Harry looked at his watch, seeing that he had five minutes to be in his lesson on time.

"Fuck. I'll see you tonight, Malfoy."

"Okay. I'm not sure if I can make it, but I'll try to be here," Malfoy sneered sarcastically. Harry bit his cheeks to prevent himself from smiling, and exited the room.

Their chess matches had been incredible. He hadn't even noticed that time; it had passed by so quickly. He had been with Malfoy for over an hour, but he hadn't seemed to have been bothered for one second by his presence.

Hermione and Ron looked up when he entered the classroom, but Harry just shrugged and took the seat next to Neville.

The next day, Draco was waiting for Harry come by and visit. The Gryffindor had made a habit out of visiting him at noon. Draco thought it was stupid, because he could tell that he was just trying to make right what he had done wrong, but he enjoyed his company nonetheless.

Madam Pomfrey could be a pain in the ass if you had to tolerate her all day. So, when his stomach rumbled, a nice feeling filled up his chest from knowing that when lunch came, Potter would come, too.

"Hi," Harry greeted, a light flush on his cheeks. Draco could tell that he had been running.

"Hi, Potter. You're late."

"I know. McGonagall gave us another essay, I don't understand it at all. I'll get another Dreadful, I bet."

"You're such a retard, Potter. You can show me tonight, I'll explain it for you."

"Are you feeling any better?" Potter asked quickly, brushing over the offer. Draco felt flattered by the question.

"I guess. I can open my eyes now, without my head exploding with pain. Oh, and breathing doesn't hurt as much as it did."

"And the cuts?"

"They're beginning to scar. They'll always be there." As Draco spoke those words, he saw Harry's green eyes dim a little. "It was Dark Magic, Potter. Did you expect them to fade? Look at your own scar."

"I wish I could make them go away." Draco could hear the guilt in Potters voice. He had never heard that before. His father never felt guilty, and his mother never let it show.

"Stop being a pussy. You can't. What's done is done, Potter."

"I could go back in time," Potter mused, speaking more to himself than to Draco.

"Yeah, you could, but you don't have the materials." Draco took a sip of water and stared at Harry. Was he actually considering this?

"I know. The time turners were destroyed at the Ministry last year."

"Why do you want to rewind time so desperately? You hate me, why do you care?"

"I – I didn't want to mutilate you for life. I didn't even mean to curse you," Harry sighed deeply. Draco had a hard time keeping his emotions hidden, because he actually felt sorry for Harry. He blamed himself too much. All in all, it hadn't been a curse, it had just been a spell that he hadn't known the consequences of. It happened all the time in the Wizarding World.

"You've already said that, Potter. Repeating it won't change anything."

"I know that." Potter's temper was rising and Draco smirked. He liked the heated side of the Leader of the Golden Trio. They were talking so intently that they hadn't heard Madam Pomfrey enter the room, a tray in her hand.

"Your lunch, Mr. Malfoy." She looked at Harry with a concerned glance, and Draco could tell she wanted to do a checkup on him desperately. Draco quickly reached forward to grab the plate.

"Thanks, I'll be fine." Draco took the plate and looked happily at the sausage, chips and beans. Harry reached into his bag and pulled out some sandwiches that he probably had put in his bag at breakfast.

"You're not going to eat that, are you?" Draco asked disgustedly, looking at the stale sandwiches that had been completely squashed by books.

"Why not?"

"Because it's disgusting. You can have some of mine." Draco sat up a little straighter to get ready to eat.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I – I kind of appreciate you coming over at lunch. The days are really long; sitting in bed for twenty-four hours."

"You're welcome," Harry replied, surprised at the gratitude. He seemed honestly grateful. Draco smiled inwardly. It felt nice to have Potter's company.

Draco turned his plate so Harry could grab some chips. He didn't know how he could be kind to Harry after the incident, but Draco always had had trouble maintaining his mask when it came to the raven-haired boy.

They ate in silence, but it was enough for Draco.

Harry had hardly enough time to relax with his friends. The evenings were spent with Draco, talking to him about his day, and afterwards, studying together until bedtime. At lunch, they ate together. He only saw his friends during breakfast and in lessons.

Somehow, Harry wasn't bothered. It had been three weeks since the accident, and even though Malfoy was feeling a lot better, he still was very weak. It was Harry's duty – and punishment – to go and see him, or at least, that was what he told his friends. Inside, he knew there was more to it, but Harry didn't dare to think about it for too long.

He was quickly packing his books, quill and parchment into his bag as the class got ready to go to lunch when Ron tapped him on the shoulder.

"You're going to Malfoy again, aren't you?" he remarked.

Harry paused. "Yeah. We always exercise a bit, so I'll see you this afternoon, okay?" Harry said hurriedly. He could see Ron's face drop. Hermione, on the contrary, looked like she was going to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Harry heard Ron ask when he walked through the door.

"Nothing," Hermione answered innocently, probably realising that Harry could still be listening. Harry shook his head. What was that girl planning? She had been acting strange before the curse, and now it seemed that it seemed like it was starting all over again. Maybe it had something to do with Malfoy.

As Harry arrived in the Hospital Wing, thoughts of his friends vanished as he saw Draco sitting upright on his bed again.

"How're you doing? You look a lot better," Harry beamed, his smile splitting his face.

"I feel a lot better." He sounded better too.

"I've brought my lunch," Harry grimaced, unpacking his bacon sandwiches.

"You're disgusting," Draco said, making a face. He took his own food from the beside table and started to eat. Harry had to admit Draco's meal looked a lot better than his, but didn't complain.

"Where's Madam Pomfrey?"

"In a meeting or something, no idea." Malfoy took tiny bites of his food with his fork. Harry watched how he nibbled and felt his chest heating up. Malfoy ate so neatly.

"So, you're alone?" Harry asked, taking a bite from his sandwich.

"No. You're with me, dumbass."

"But apart from me, you're alone?" Harry repeated. Malfoy just rolled his eyes.

"Eat quickly, I've got an idea!" Harry announced, his mouth full of bacon. He sprang out of his chair and hurried out of the room.

As Harry got back, he found a slightly confused Malfoy finishing off the last of his lunch.

"Come with me," Harry ordered.

"Excuse me? I can't leave the bed, Potter. In case you didn't notice, I've been lying here for weeks."

"Well, then I'll carry you," Harry insisted, walking up to the boy and starting to pull the covers off.

"What are you doing? Potter! Stop it! You're molesting me!"

"Shut it! Do you want Madam Pomfrey to come back? The whole castle will hear you if you keep shouting like this."

"Maybe that's because the one who put me in here is trying to kidnap me." Harry pulled a face at the snide remark, but he didn't want to start a fight.

"I'm not kidnapping _or _molesting you. Just let me carry you somewhere." Malfoy didn't look convinced, but Harry could tell the boy was curious.

Harry lifted Malfoy off the bed, surprised at how light he actually was, and made his way through the empty corridors of the castle. They walked into an empty classroom and Harry put Malfoy down.

"What's this? What are we doing here, Potter?" Malfoy asked slightly nervously.

"Trust me," Harry said, walking up to the large window and seemingly grabbing the air. His hands closed around unseen fabric, and he lifted the invisibility cloak off the Firebolt. He watched as Draco's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"Are you up for a ride?"

"What?"

"I thought you might like it. It's been a while for me, too, so I wondered about… well, taking you with me."

"I –" But that was all Malfoy brought out. Harry walked up to Malfoy and helped him to his feet.

"Don't worry, nobody will see us. That's why I brought my invisibility cloak." Harry tried to ban the history of the cloak out of his head and helped Malfoy cover himself. He lifted him onto the firebolt and then careully flew out of the open window, Malfoy holding grappling his sides as they went.

When Harry flew away from the castle, his worries flew away too. Here he was, on his Firebolt. He could go anywhere. He felt Malfoy's arms around his waist and could feel his chest against his back. It felt nice.

"Where do you want to go?" Harry shouted, loud enough so the Slytherin could hear.

"Doesn't matter!" Malfoy answered.

Draco didn't know what was happening to him. One moment they were sitting together, eating lunch like they did every day, and now he was floating invisibly through the sky on Harry's broom. When people looked up, they would only see Harry – not him.

Draco smiled to himself. This was the kind of distraction he had been craving for. It surprised him that it came from _Potter_. But, then again, it didn't surprise him at all. Even though Harry was obliged to help him, he came every moment he wasn't in lessons or at Quidditch practice. Draco longed for those moments, and it wasn't only to have company anymore. It was to get to see Harry. To watch him eating. To listen to him talking about his day. To watch him yawning when it got late. To see him frowning when he didn't understand his homework. To look at him smiling when Draco told him that he was feeling better.

All of that didn't make sense to Draco. He had been convinced that Harry hated him, through and through. But someone who hated him wouldn't act like this, even when that person wanted to undo certain actions.

Draco's head started spinning from over-thinking.

"– don't you think?" Harry finished.

"What?" Draco asked, flustered, having paid no attention at all.

"I said, it's nice to be outside that room for once."

"Indeed, Potter. I will have to thank you for that later," Draco answered, looking at the tiny Quiditch Pitch underneath them. They were so high that Draco felt he could reach up to touch the clouds.

Draco enjoyed his time in the skies and shook himself out of his reverie when they landed.

"Is it over already?" Draco deplored, trying to cover his disappointment. He could tell that Harry had heard it.

"We can go out again when Pomfrey's gone, but if she sees that you're not in bed, she won't leave you for a second, and won't let me in anymore. So, hurry up." That made a lot of sense.

They made their way back to the Hospital Wing, hoping Madam Pomfrey wouldn't have returned. Although it had been a lot of fun, Draco was grateful to be back in his bed. The trip had been exhausting.

"I'll get back to class now. I'll see you tonight," Potter panted, having carried Draco all the way back. Draco nodded. Potter was still on time for his classes. That meant they had been away for only a half hour. It seemed so much longer to Draco. He leant back into his pillow, thinking about the wind blowing through raven hair.

Maybe the curse wasn't such a bad thing after all...

**To be continued**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Together

**Hi! This is a rather short one, but a really fluffy one! I'm so sorry for making it so short, I'm in holiday mood and I really can't force myself to write. Really. It's hard. But I'll try to update as soon as I can with a proper chapter! Enjoy this one!**

***Line breaks are fixed* Betaed by Siriuslyholly! Thanks a lot!  
**

Chapter 9  
Together

Harry was looking for some books related to Quidditch in the library, when Hermione bounded up behind him.

"Hi, Harry, are you going to see Malfoy again today?" Harry turned around and nodded. Hermione sat down on one of the benches, picking up a book. He hadn't even seen her in the library until now.

"Yeah. I'm the only company he has right now."

"Well, tell him I said hi. And don't do anything besides school work, the exams are coming up shortly. Oh, and don't be late for bed, okay?" she instructed. Harry lifted an eyebrow. Why would she want to say hello to Draco? What would they do besides work? And since when did she care how late he went to bed?

Harry shrugged, finally found the book he was looking for and put it under his arm. "Thanks, 'Mione. Tell Ron I said hey."

"You know that it's not part of your punishment, right?" Hermione asked. Harry looked at her, puzzled. What did she mean by that? Hermione caught his confusion and explained. "If you're telling Ron that you have to meet up with Malfoy because Snape gave you that punishment, you're lying. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course. But Ron doesn't, so please don't tell him." Hermione smiled and gave a little nod before concentrating on her book. Of course this wasn't his punishment anymore. He went to Malfoy every single free moment of the day. He didn't organise Quidditch practices as often, he didn't meet up with his friends much anymore. Sometimes, he felt guilty, but then again, he didn't really care.

Harry went off to see Draco again. "Hi, Malfoy," Harry saluted enthusiastically, practically running through the door and taking his seat at the side of the bed.

"Hi, Potter. Have you been running again?"

"I'm sorry I'm late. I found an interesting book for you. You know, when you feel bored, you could read a bit." Harry showed him a book about Quidditch players of the twentieth centuary and looked at Draco expectantly.

"Thanks, Potter. That was… very kind of you." It felt weird hearing such soft words coming out of Malfoy' mouth and Harry smiled widely.

"You're welcome," Harry responded, taking out his own books and got ready to inform him about the past few hours.

"Oh, and Hermione told me to say hi," Harry said quickly, almost forgetting to mention it.

"Did she? Odd," was all Malfoy said. They fell silent for a while, reading their books.

"I'm almost healed, you know," Malfoy informed him, a few minutes later.

"Oh, that's… great," Harry exclaimed unconvincingly. If Malfoy was healed, that would mean life would go back to normal, and Harry would have to spend every single Friday with Snape.

"You're not happy?" Malfoy asked.

"Oh, of course I'm happy for you. I mean, it's really great. It's just –"

"What?" Malfoy interrupted, putting aside his book and patting his bed. Harry cautiously took a seat next to Malfoy, his heart speeding up as he sat so close to the blonde.

"I have to spend every Friday with Snape in the dungeons," Harry grumbled.

"That's too bad for you, Potter. Bad boys must be punished, right?" Malfoy teased, half-smiling.

Harry nodded. "I won't be able to see you anymore, either," he continued, feeling rather sad as he spoke.

"You want to keep seeing me?" Malfoy asked, surprised. Harry grew nervous all of a sudden.

"I don't know… I mean… We're very –"

"Stop babbling, Potter. If you like me, just spill it." Harry was astonished by how easy the words left Draco's mouth.

"I have grown fond of you," Harry confessed, looking down at the blanket and fumbling with the fabric of his shirt.

"What? I didn't hear you," Malfoy teased. Harry wanted to kick the Slytherin, but fought it back, cause he had hurt the boy enough already.

"You heard me well enough. I said 'I like you'," Harry repeated, starting to feel unsure. Had this been the right thing to say?

"You said it with different words. Say it again," Malfoy ordered.

"I – huh? Why?"

"I liked it. Just say it, Potter. Are you scared now?"

"No. I said I've grown fond of you," Harry answered, whispering the last three words. Malfoy leant closer, and Harry counted his almost-white eyelashes before he closed his eyes. Their lips met for the second time. But this time, it was more intense, more sensitive. All of Harry's feelings poured into the kiss. A stirring feeling grew inside his stomach, and Harry had to keep himself from moaning into the blonde's mouth.

Draco's soft, pink lips fitted perfectly with Harry's full red ones. Draco was sending shivers down Harry's spine as he put his arm around Harry's waist. They were completely oblivious to their surroundings. Harry didn't push Draco away harshly, like last time. When they both came up for air, Harry's eyes met beautiful grey ones, and for several seconds, Harry couldn't breathe.

Malfoy was beautiful.

"D-do you like me too?" Harry asked hesitatingly. The moment of truth. This could all have been a show.

"What does it look like?" Malfoy replied. There was no sign of mockery in his voice. This was already enough for Harry.

"I'm really sorry about everything," Harry murmured.

"Don't be. It brought us together," Malfoy whispered. For some reason, those were the most beautiful words Harry had ever heard.

Draco was starting to have some doubts about Harry. What if it all turned out to be a big joke? Then, almost on cue, Potter came rushing in, like he did every single day. It reassured Draco, and he had to refrain from smiling at the flushing boy.

After they had read for a while, something was burning inside him to get out, but he didn't know how Harry would react. Draco was almost healed. He was almost ready to go back to the Slytherins; to face all his 'friends' again. It bothered him a lot, but what bothered him the most was that Potter would probably be happy his job was almost done.

"I'm almost healed, you know," he said suddenly, breaking the silence they were sat in.

"Oh, that's... great," Harry said. Draco could hear some hesitation in his voice. Could it be? No. it couldn't.

"You're not happy?" Draco asked, trying to sound disappointed, but feeling hopeful inside.

"Oh, of course I'm happy for you. I mean, it's really great. It's just –" Harry hesitated for a second, and the hopeful feeling grew inside Draco's stomach. Maybe Harry felt the same way about him. Maybe he didn't just drop by because he had to. Maybe…

"What?" Draco asked, putting aside the books and patting his bed. Potter took a seat on the blankets, and Draco was shocked by the close-up beauty of the boy before him. They hadn't been so close since that wonderful kiss; that wonderful kiss with the terrible ending. Draco hoped Harry would say something good.

"I have to spend every Friday with Snape in the dungeons," Harry answered. This pissed Draco off. Was he only unhappy because of his punishment with Snape? He knew those two hated each other, but Draco had hoped Harry would've liked his company. Well, he always got hurt by his own assumptions. Draco kept his sigh inside and managed to say, "That's too bad for you, Potter. Bad boys must be punished, right?" He tried smiling, but he was sure it didn't reach his eyes. Somewhere inside him, he hoped that Harry would have a really rough time with Snape, but he knew he didn't mean it.

Harry nodded. "I won't be able to see you anymore, either," Potter continued. At this, Draco's eyes shot up again. He saw his green eyes, filled with a hint of sadness. His hope rose again.

"You want to keep seeing me?" Draco questioned, his voice not much louder than a whisper.

"I don't know… I mean… We're very –" and Potter was stuttering again. Draco liked the uncertainty about the boy. He had always thought Harry would have everything all figured out, but actually, he was as unsure about this as Draco was.

"Stop babbling, Potter. If you like me, just spill it," Draco snapped, stopping the boy in the middle of his sentence.

"I have grown fond of you," Harry confessed, and even though his actions remained unsure, Draco could hear that the boy meant what he had just said. But he wouldn't be a Malfoy if he didn't drive it further. "What? I didn't hear you," Draco teased.

"You heard me well enough. I said 'I like you'," Harry rushed. Draco was really enjoying himself. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation! Potter liked him? Really? Maybe he was dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time. However, this felt real.

"You said it with different words. Say it again," Draco ordered, wanting to be sure about it.

"I – huh? Why?" Draco had to stop any emotion showing on his face to in fear of being rejected. Was Harry backing off now?

"I liked it. Just say it, Potter. Are you scared now?"

"No. I said I've grown fond of you," he replied. At that, all Draco wanted to do was taste the words in Harry's mouth. He leant in, and as they touched, he could almost feel Harry's words on his lips. He could sense his honesty, and was filled with a warm feeling from the top of his head, to the tip of his toes.

Time and place didn't matter to Draco anymore. All that mattered was the green eyed boy in front of him. He wrapped his arms around his waist and deepened the kiss, until they both gasped for air.

"D – do you like me too?" Harry asked slowly. Draco raised an eyebrow. Of course he liked him! Wasn't that obvious? Would he have kissed him like that otherwise? Draco had kissed other people, but none of them had kissed like Harry. He was perfect in everything he did, even in kissing. It was obvious Draco had liked it, but somehow, Harry was showing uncertainty, something Draco hadn't experienced with him before.

"What does it look like?" Draco replied.

"I'm really sorry about everything," Harry murmured. Well, this was the perfect thing to say. How many times had Harry said that already? One million times? Two million? Draco had lost count. But it didn't matter. Potter didn't have to feel sorry.

"Don't be. It brought us together," Draco whispered. They fell silent for a while and then Draco spoke again. "If it's so important for you, I can pretend to feel a bit off for a little while longer so that you don't have as many detentions."

"You would?" Potter beamed. Draco could hear the gratitude in his voice.

"Only if you kiss me again," Draco said. Potter didn't see a problem with that and the Hospital Wing disappeared again.

**To be continued…**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Reality

**Hi! I know it's been a while, but well, I just needed a small break and I've been working with my beta reader and such, so sorry for the delay. I know next chapter is rather short again, but I really wanted to end it there. ****I hope you enjoy!**

***Line breaks fixed***

**Now betaed by the wonderful Siriuslyholly! She has done such beautiful things to my story!**

Chapter 10  
Reality

Madam Pomfrey soon figured out that Draco was feeling better, and had sent him back to his former dormitory. Draco wasn't angry, he just hoped nothing would change between Harry and him.

Whilst Draco was staying at the Hospital Wing, his only visitor, other than Pansy's first visit, had been Harry Potter. Somehow, the two had developed feelings for each other. However, they were still getting to know each other, and being exposed to the Hogwarts environment would be a test for the two.

So far, they were doing great. They usually met in an empty classroom – how original – as it was the safest place for the pair of them. Draco had not felt this great in a long time. He had forgotten all about his former problems, however, as the saying went, all good things come to an end and soon he had to be faced with them again.

Like when his father came to visit him, to see if everything was in order. Draco knew better. Lucius only wanted to talk to him about marrying Pansy, and to remind him of his task. After last year's fight in the Ministry, Lucius had managed to escape – bribe his way out of – Azkaban.

"Hello, Draco. You look a lot better, if I must say so," Lucius sneered, in his usual condescending voice. Dumbledore had offered them the teachers room, to discuss some personal matters.

"Thanks father," Draco replied sarcastically.

"I'm really not satisfied with what Potter got for punishment. The fool could have killed you, but still they protect him," Lucius hissed, anger apparent in his voice.

"It has been unfair, but nevertheless, he helped me keeping up with my classes."

"That's the least the useless child could do," Lucius spat. His long blonde hair fell before his eyes, and he wiped it away with a swipe of his hand.

"What brings you here, Father? I'm sure it's not just concerning my health?"

"I _was_ worried about your health, Draco. But as you know, our family has a pride to keep high." Draco tried not to sigh at those heavy words. Lucius continued. "About this marriage, you know it's in July, yes? Your mother and I are making all the arrangements with the Parkinsons."

"I don't want to marry Pansy, Father. I have already told you that."

"I don't see any problem with Pansy. Besides, it doesn't matter if you like her or not, Draco. You have to do it for the family's honour." Again, Draco managed not to sigh, but looked at his feet instead. Just when he was feeling happy, for such a short moment in his entire life, his father had to knock it all down again with a sledgehammer.

"And please don't forget your task, Draco. That's the only way you can save our family."

Just as Draco had expected, his father had brought up the two things that could make his life miserable again. His task. How could he possibly forget about that? Harry had been around him for months now, and every single time his eyes fell on that lightning-bolt scar, he was reminded that either Harry had to die, or he would have to give his life for the boy.

Before, he would never have thought about giving his own life for Harry Potter, but now, doubt was circling in his mind.

"Do you understand, Draco?" Lucius drawled impatiently. His dull grey eyes looked at him intently, and Draco had to fight the urge to look away.

"I do."

"Now that you're better, it would be a perfect timing to hand over the boy to the Dark Lord, Draco. It would make us – your mother and I – so proud. The sooner you do it, the sooner the weight will be off your shoulders." _And the sooner the Malfoy family would be alone,_ Draco added in his head. Draco refused to speak another word until his father left.

That was how much he cared about his son. Just to keep the family's honour high. _Do as you're told, Draco, we don't care about your opinion. _Draco had known this all his life. Emotions must be kept to yourself, opinions must not be shared and most of all, do not refuse to do anything a superior asks of you.

Draco had been avoiding Harry for a week now. He knew he would be worried, or angry, or upset or all three, but he just couldn't meet his eyes. He'd rather sacrifice himself than give the Dark Lord what he wanted. Having faced his father made it almost impossible to look at Harry, because every time he did, he was reminded of his terrible fate.

Draco was scared. He knew how Harry would react. He would be so angry, because Draco had known all along, and he had never told him. Who wouldn't be angry? Here Draco was, deciding what to do with Harry's life, either vowing to protecting him or handing him over to the Dark Lord. Draco would not want anyone to make that decision for him, so why would Harry be okay with it? And most of all, would he understand? By confessing to Harry, he would risk losing him. That was why Draco wanted to postpone it.

Soon enough, the confrontation had to be made. During double Potions, Draco had been able to avoid Harry's gaze. He could feel green eyes on his skin the full ninety minutes, but refused to look up. He listened to Slughorn rattling on about Dreamless Sleep potion, and the side-effects if the potion was not made perfectly. They varied from frightening nightmares, to not being able to sleep at all.

Draco couldn't use that. He was kept awake every single night by his nightmares about how Harry would die in front of him, and then how Draco would beg the Dark Lord to kill him too, but how the Dark Lord would refuse and just torture him next to the dead body of his boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Harry wouldn't be his boyfriend for long; as soon as the Gryffindor found out what he was hiding, he would dump him, hard. Draco just knew.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the lesson had ended and that everybody had already started packing their stuff away. Draco grumbled. Now he would never be gone in time to avoid Harry. And yes, when he looked up, he could see Harry was the first one to be ready.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Harry asked, not worrying about the Slytherins around them.

"It's Malfoy, remember. I don't want my father nor the Dark Lord to find out that we're on first name terms." Draco tried to throw his things in his bag as quickly as he could.

"You can call him Voldemort, _Malfoy, _the name won't bite."

"I don't want to be disrespectful to my Master, now do I?" Draco mocked and they both shared a sad smile. Draco cleaned the table with a sweep of his wand, and tried to close the bag, but couldn't, since it was a mess. So he started over again.

"You've been avoiding me for ages. Spill it." Harry didn't bother trying to ignore the obvious.

"I can't, Harry. It's too complicated. I just concluded it would be better if we don't see each other anymore."

"What? No! First of all, you don't just _conclude_ that, you like each other or you don't like each other. Second, why would _I _even _consider _not seeing you anymore? I don't feel like that at all." Draco should have seen this one coming.

"You will, after you hear the truth." Draco suddenly felt very sad.

"The truth? What truth?" Harry inquired. Draco could hear the suspicion in his voice.

"Not here, please," Draco begged, having finally arranged his bag and pulling it onto his shoulder. "Let's talk in private."

Harry didn't know what to expect. He had been unbearable the last few weeks, because Draco wouldn't talk to him. At this point not even his friends talked to him because he had been such an arsehole.

He wanted to talk to Draco so desperately, but every time he got a shot, the Slytherin managed to slip through his fingers again.

And now, he was walking in the wake of a sulking Draco, wondering what could possibly be 'the truth'.

They found a room together. Harry felt his tension rise and struggled to find the words to say.

"Well. What's the truth, Draco?"

"The truth is," Draco swallowed, "I must be the one to hand you to the Dark Lord." Harry's mouth fell open. What? This was the task Draco Malfoy had recieved during the Christmas Holidays?

"What? You mean all of this was a trick?" Harry yelled. It was a good thing they had put a silencing charm over the room when they entered.

"A trick?" Draco didn't understand.

"I should've known! You stupid –" Harry stopped in the middle of his sentence, not being able to express what he was feeling. So, that was what Draco had been doing? He had been playing with Harry's feelings all along, just to get close to him, so his task would be easier.

This was beyond anything Harry had ever imagined. Malfoy had been his enemy. He had hated the boy, he had admitted that, but his actions never would have gone this far. He would never betray Draco.

Never.

But apparently, Draco Malfoy had other plans in mind.

Harry closed his eyes to fight back his tears, because he didn't want Draco to see him like that. He swallowed back the sorrow that formed a knot in his throat and turned around to leave the room.

His Draco was gone now.

**To be continued**

**Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11: Lost

**Hi! The next chapter's finished! Finally. I've been so busy, having priorities and didn't feel like writing, but here it is! I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review! Betaed by SiriuslyHolly!  
**

Chapter 11  
Lost

Draco was confused. What was happening?

"Harry! Please wait!" he shouted, running after him.

"Leave me alone, Malfoy." Harry's tone was harsh.

"Harry, please. Let me explain!"

"Explain what? How you tricked me? How foolish I have been? I should've known you never felt the same way!" Harry's green eyes were as murderous as the Killing Curse.

"I _do_ feel the same way. Why don't you just shut up and listen?" Draco barked. "I'm not handing you to Voldemort! I'd never do that. I'm willing to give up my life to spare yours," Draco finished. Using Voldemort's name sent chills down Draco's spine, but he had remembered what Harry had said.

"Nice try," Harry answered, unconvinced.

"Well, if you want to play it that way, fine. I'm want to apologise that I hid it from you. That's all. I'm not betraying you in any way. So, please think twice about this."

"You don't sound like yourself, Malfoy. I can tell it's all a lie."

"It's not! I have changed because of _you,_ Potter, but you're too idiotic to see it! Fuck it! If I don't have anything to do with you, I won't be forced to hand you over." Draco felt tears fill his eyes, but this was not the moment for them to burst out. Harry had already changed him too much. He was right. He wasn't himself anymore.

"Fine." Harry started to walk away, but Draco stopped him. "What?" Harry growled.

Draco kissed Harry full on the lips in the middle of the corridor. Harry pulled away first, his eyes filled with confusion.

"What do you want from me?" Harry demanded wearily. Draco couldn't understand why Harry was so angry and upset. Maybe he had been wrong about it turning out all right in the end.

"Nothing has changed, Harry. You're just too blind to see it." Draco turned around and walked away.

LINEBREAK

Harry was _not_ too blind to see it. In fact, he knew Draco wasn't lying after his first sentence, when he had followed him down the corridor.

Draco was right. If they didn't see each other, it would be easier for both of them to handle their fates. Harry didn't want to know what Voldemort would do when he knew Draco was so precious to him. He would, most likely, hurt him like he had done with all the other people that were dear to him.

So, for that sake, Harry ignored Draco. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, facing Voldemort included. At least he could spend his time with Ron and Hermione again.

[insert line break]

It wouldn't be very Hermione-like if she hadn't noticed something was different. After Transfiguration, the three friends were making their way to the Gryffindor common room. A few weeks ago, Harry would have been running to the Hospital Wing, and only days ago, he would have left his friends to meet up with Draco.

This time, he acted like the past few weeks hadn't happened. They sat down by the fire to get started on their homework: one foot of parchment on the side-effects of being an animagus. After a while, Hermione wasn't able to keep her curiosity at bay.

"Where's Draco?" she asked nonchalantly, as she flipped a page from her book; '_Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguation'_.

"In the Slytherin House, I guess. Why?" Harry answered casually, trying to hide the sad undertones showing in his voice.

"What happened? Why aren't you two meeting up today?" she questioned. She didn't have a problem with them being together. Ron, on the other hand, had not been so happy when Harry had finally told him who he was dating, two weeks previously.

Harry was writing his essay for Charms, but his hand started to tremble as Ron spoke.

"I've known that it was going to fail from the start. I just sensed it, you know?"

"Very helpful, Ronald," Hermione scolded, pursing her lips together.

"Don't do that, 'Mione, you're the spitting image of McGonagall," Ron whined. He was the only one not doing his homework; he was rereading his Chudley Cannons book for the umpteenth time.

"Oh, just stop it, Ron. Harry, what happened? We haven't been able to get you apart for anything for ages." Hermione put aside the book as Harry put his quill down. He wouldn't be able to finish his homework like this.

"It's nothing, Hermione. It's just... too dangerous for us to be together," Harry explained.

"Why is that?" Hermione pressed.

"If Voldemort finds out about us, he'll kill us both. Besides, Draco's been given the task to hand me over to _him_."

"What?" Hermione yelped, covering her mouth with her hand. Some of the other Gryffindors in the room turned around to see who was making the noise, but soon, all went quiet again.

"Yeah. He can't help it." Harry was playing with his quill, avoiding the gazes of his friends.

"How do you know that he hasn't been lying to you all this time?" Ron questioned suspiciously.

"He loves me. I just – I believe him," Harry defended. Ron looked as if he was going to be sick at that comment.

"Maybe he's _pretending_ that he loves you, to make it easier to fulfil his task," Ron offered grumpily.

"Ron! Don't say things like that. If Harry believes him, then it's the truth. Besides, I honestly don't believe Draco could be that good at acting." Hermione hissed defensively.

"No, he isn't. At first, that was what went through me too. But, I believe him. It's awful. I swear, if Voldemort lays a finger on Draco, I'll kill him in a heartbeat." With that, Harry stood up and headed towards their dormitory. He avoided Hermione's watery gaze and climbed the stairs without saying a word.

The next few days were very lonely. Harry could see from the way that Draco acted that he thought Harry didn't love him anymore. _But, that was for the better_, Harry convinced himself. _Voldemort will never find out._

Harry forced himself to eat breakfast to escape Hermione's complaints. He tried to hide his misery, so he wasn't interrogated by Ron, or told that '_it was the right thing to do_'by Hermione. He didn't know whether it was or not.

If it was the right thing to do, it certainly didn't feel great. But, whenever Voldemort was involved, nothing felt great. Everytime he saw Draco, the more his heartache increased and the more he was determined to end Voldemort once and for all.

[insert line break]

Draco was on the edge of sanity. He didn't know what to do anymore. From the few good things he had had in life so far, he had lost the most precious thing: his Harry.

It was obvious that Harry would not take him back. Draco could sense that from a mile away, and he agreed with his decision. He shouldn't have hidden that from his boyfriend. He didn't resent Harry for not loving him anymore. He just hated himself for losing him.

Nothing really mattered anymore. Voldemort could take him and kill him because he hadn't finished his task, he didn't care. He would be proud to keep Harry from him; that way, he could do at least one thing right.

Saving Harry.

Harry was so busy thinking about Draco that his grades were suffering. He couldn't concentrate on anything. Every time he tried to focus on something, Draco's beautiful eyes crossed his mind and he had to do everything to stop his mind from wandering to the days in locked classrooms.

"Why are you trying so hard to ignore him, Harry?" Hermione inquired, looking at him worriedly as Harry forced his eyes to look in front of him, rather than to the blonde Slytherin passing by.

"I have to, Hermione. If Voldemort looks into my head... I need to hide it from him."

"Do you really believe he doesn't know yet? Maybe you should go to Draco and just _be_ there for each other. This is exactly how V-Voldemort wants you. Vulnerable." Harry was taken aback by the sense she was making. Deep down, he knew she was telling the truth.

"It's already too late, Draco won't want me back now," Harry mumbled as they reached the Gryffindor tower. "Pumpkin juice." The portrait flew open and they entered the common room.

"That's not true, and you know it. If you think that's how you're going to save him from Voldemort, fine. But I'm guessing that Voldemort will eat him alive if he doesn't bring you to him."

Harry knew Hermione was right again. He wanted to hear Draco's voice. He wanted to hear him say that he loved him, after Harry apologised. Harry was sure he would cry.

But that wasn't possible for the moment.

********* [again, swap this for a linebreak for continuity]

Harry was having such a hard time ignoring his former boyfriend, that at first he hadn't noticed Draco wasn't present in Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was already hard to deal with, with Snape making it so difficult for him to enjoy his once-favourite lesson. Half an hour in, his stomach started to churn and he looked up to where Draco normally sat. When he saw the empty desk, a wave of sickness went through Harry, his senses telling him that this was not a good sign.

The remaining hour seemed to last forever, and Harry was glad when he could clean his desk. He had to find Draco. He put everything away in record time and made his way to Professor Snape at the front of the dark classroom.

"Professor. Dra- Malfoy is absent today, do you have any idea where he is?" He looked at the greasy-haired man and tried to be as casual as he could manage, but Snape had obviously taken it suspiciously.

"I don't think that's your business, Potter," Snape sneered. Harry could have expected the former Potions teacher to act like this.

"Is he all right? Is he back in the Hospital Wing?" Harry asked worriedly, hoping for a better answer this time.

No such luck."I just told you that it wasn't any your business, Potter. Class is over, it would be kind of you to leave the classroom." Harry nodded and turned around, grabbing his bag as he exited the room.

Ron and Hermione were waiting for him with a curious look on their faces, but he couldn't tell them what he had inquired about. What would he say? _I'm worried that Voldemort has taken and hurt my boyfriend. _Harry knew what they would answer.

Ron's would be; "I don't care about Malfoy. Why do you worry about that Ferretface?" and Hermione: "You Know Who can't get into Hogwarts, Harry, that's impossible. If Dumbledore is still here, he's safe." No. He wouldn't tell them.

They arrived in the Great Hall, and Harry scanned the Slytherin table immediately. No sign of Draco, and almost all the students had arrived, since Harry had been in the classroom for a little longer than usual. They sat down.

"Draco's not in the Great Hall," Harry noted out loud, his look never leaving the entrance of the Great Hall. Somehow, it felt odd for Harry to remain seated. He felt like scanning all of Hogwarts to find his blonde ex-boyfriend.

"Maybe he's just not hungry today," Hermione offered, although not very self-assured.

"Just let him be, Harry. He'll turn up sooner or later," Ron said, filling his plate with everything within his reach. Harry wasn't hungry. He sat there and waited.

[insert line break]

The next day at breakfast, there was still no sign of Draco. Harry forced himself to eat some toast, but his stomach was already filled with worry. He sensed that something was seriously wrong.

"We have Herbology with the Slytherins today. If he's not there, then you can go to Dumbledore, okay?" Hermione reassured, anticipating Harry's feelings. Sometimes she could read people like books.

"Deal," Harry agreed, placing his toast back on his plate and finishing his Pumpkin Juice. "Let's go."

"But you haven't eaten, Harry," Hermione protested.

"I'm not hungry, believe me."

That afternoon in Herbology, the only Slytherin not attending the class was Draco. Harry felt nauseous. It had been a whole day now, and if Draco was with Voldemort, chances were small that Harry would ever see him again. He could have been gone for even longer, as Harry had been trying to ignore him.

Harry felt awful. This was all his fault. This would never have happened if Draco had been by his side. But now, Draco was convinced Harry hated him, and Voldemort could be torturing him with his own memories.

Harry should have known better than to walk away. He didn't need the confirmation from Dumbledore to be sure that Draco wasn't anywhere near Hogwarts.

"He wasn't there, 'Mione. I'm going to Dumbledore's office right now," Harry breathed hurriedly as they left the greenhouses of Hogwarts.

"It's getting late, Harry. Wait until tomorrow," Hermione said, but no one could stop Harry now. He had already waited too long.

"I can't Hermione. I haven't eaten or concentrated all day! I'm worried. If something has happened, Dumbledore will want to tell me." And with those words, Harry ran off to Dumbledore's office.

"Wine Gum," he said breathlessly, and climbed the emerging stairs as fast as possible. He knocked once, and entered the room when he heard a soft "Come in."

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, looking at the door as it opened. Harry could tell that the headmaster wasn't surprised to see him. There were no lights of happiness in those deep blue eyes.

Harry didn't need words to know what was wrong.

"You're coming for Draco, I suppose?" Dumbledore asked gravely, his voice still soft.

"Yes, Professor. He's been missing."

"I'm afraid so. The Order have no idea of his whereabouts, but they're working on it. We also don't know how he got out of the castle."

"I have to find him," Harry replied determinedly.

"Your bravery is commendable, Harry. I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave Hogwarts, it's too dangerous. That is what Voldemort wants you to do," Dumbledore informed him calmly.

"I don't care what he wants, I need to find Draco. Don't you have any idea where he's gone?" Harry replied, anxiety taking over him.

"No. The Order has checked the Malfoy Manor, but it's completely deserted. No sign of Draco, nor his parents."

Harry remained silent whilst adrenaline rushed through his veins. After a moment of silence, he stood up.

"Then, I suppose there's nothing that I can do," he stated.

"I agree," Dumbledore agreed, a watery smile crossing his face. Harry turned and left.

**To be continued…**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Untraceable Love

**Hi! This is the next chapter! I'm sorry I haven't been updating this story while I was on a holiday, but I did post a new one shot, so don't go too hard on me. I hope you like the next chapter! the ending is coming within sight! Enjoy!**

**Special thanks to Siriuslyholly for her betaing!**

Chapter 12

Untraceable love

"And?" Hermione asked as soon as Harry entered the common room.

"He's gone. The Order is looking for him." Hermione didn't look surprised. She had seen it in his eyes.

"You can't help them, Harry. You know that, right?" Hermione asked, already knowing that no one was going to keep Harry from finding Draco.

"I can't just _sit_ here. You know that, 'Mione. I have to find him. I just don't know where to start." Harry sighed deeply, his head filled with worry. He sat down in his usual chair near the fire.

Hermione stood, waking Ron up in the process, who had dozed off in his wait for Harry.

"Hi, Harry. What did Dumbledore say?" Ron mumbled sleepily, wriggling his nose as he sat up straighter.

"Ronald, Draco's gone. We have to find him," Hermione decided determinedly. Harry looked at her in surprise. He didn't think she would be as easily convinced to do something _beyond_ dangerous.

"We? What! No, we can't, we're not – you –" Ron seemed overloaded with information.

"Stop spluttering, Ron, you don't have to go. And you don't have to, either, Hermione," Harry soothed uncomfortably. He didn't want his friends to get into trouble because of him.

"Don't be silly. We're your friends. And I suppose that I'm friends with Draco too," Hermione protested.

"I'm not friends with Malfoy. Does that mean I get to stay here?" Ron brought out sheepishly.

"No, Ron! You can go with us!" Hermione growled. Ron remained silent. "Okay, Harry, I think there's a way to find him."

"You do?" The worry-knot in his stomach made some room for hope.

"Maybe. I think I've read something about a complicaed spell that finds what you have lost."

"That's just for objects Hermione," Ron remarked dully.

"It's not only for objects, Ron. I would know, but I can't remember where I read it. We'll have to go to the library."

"Library it shall be," Harry confirmed.

Draco became conscious again. His nerves had been under such a terrible pain that he could barely feel his limbs. He felt numb and tired. So tired, that at first he didn't realise where he was.

Harry. He wanted Harry, but he was alone. There was hardly any light shining through the filthy windows of the small room, but Draco knew there was no one with him.

His father had brought him, or kidnapped him, here, and Voldemort had looked right into his memories. He hadn't been able to hide them. At first, his Occlumency training had worked rather well, but gradually, it had fallen apart into a thousand pieces, revealing all his intimate moments with Harry.

Voldemort had been furious. He had tortured him. Draco couldn't remember clearly what he had done, or what he had ordered the Death Eaters to do. It had been too much for him to stay conscious. They had cast the cruciatus curse several times, had beaten him up with wands and fists and one Death Eater had even raped him.

Draco was disgusted with himself. Harry would never want him, ever again. Draco had seen his disgusted face when he told him about the task. It tore him apart. The most precious thing and person in his life wouldn't look at him, wouldn't talk to him.

And Draco understood, he wasn't worthy of Harry, not at all. He wouldn't give a damn if someone cast the killing curse right now. He wouldn't mind dying on the spot.

The pain had drained him, he wasn't feeling anything at all, just emptiness. Deep inside, all he wanted was Harry.

His Harry.

Draco felt sadness fill his stomach. He needed to cry, but his tears had dried up, he hadn't any left behind his grey eyes.

If Harry came here right now, he could die a happy person.

Harry was grateful that Hermione had always been a good student. They had been looking for hours, and it was already past the curfew, but Madam Pince had left them, knowing Hermione would never harm the books.

Ron had already gone back to the Dormitory, having fallen asleep several times

"I don't even know what we're looking for," Harry whined after finishing scanning another dusty book. It had bothered him that Ron had already taken off and that he couldn't think of anything useful to do.

"I'm trying the best I can Harry," Hermione sighed. She was blinking furiously to stay awake. Strange enough, Harry didn't feel tired at all. He wouldn't be able to sleep, even if he wanted to.

"This is useless. It's impossible to find something when you don't know where to look. It's completely unfindable." Harry threw the book on the floor, which would have gained him a nasty look from Madam Pince if she still had been there.

"That's it!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Have you found it?" Harry hoped, his face lighting up again.

"I already know it!"

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What's the spell?" Harry asked, dumbfounded. Why had they been looking for so long if it was that simple?

"I remember now. It's for untraceable objects or persons."

"So, how do you use it?" Harry asked quickly.

"Um, wait a second. Oh, right! You say '_inobservabilis amor_' while pointing your wand at your chest. Then, hopefully, a white light appears and kind-of goes into your chest. Then the caster knows where to look. You can charm objects with it too."

"Let's do it!" Harry exclaimed enthusiastically, feeling relieved that they were finally getting somewhere.

"Okay, you try," Hermione encouraged, putting her last book aside.

"_Inobservabilis amor_!" Harry pronounced loudly and clearly. He waited in anticipation, but nothing happened. "_Inobservabilis amor_!" Nothing happened. Harry started to become irritated. "_Inobservabilis amor_! _Inobservabilis amor_! _Inobservabilis amor_!" he shouted.

"Stop! Stop, Harry. It's not working," Hermione shushed.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," he replied sarcastically. It was worthless. If he had been with Draco they would have been kidnapped together. He wouldn't be here shouting spells.

"Maybe you're saying it wrong. Try putting the emphasis on the _'bi'._"

Harry sighed. He didn't understand Hermione's patience, but did what she asked anyway.

"_Inobserva_bi_lis_ _amor_!" Again, nothing. "It's useless. I'll just have to go look at Malfoy Manor." Harry stood up to stretch his legs, Hermione following right behind.

"You said that they've already checked there. You won't find him there."

"I know, but maybe Voldemort wants me so badly that he'll expect me to go look over there." Harry was getting more and more desperate.

"I prefer the spell. Try again. With emphasis on the _'ser'_ this time." Harry decided to listen to his friend once more and tried again, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

"Are you sure that this is the right spell?"

"Yes; I don't know what else it could be. It's already late, Harry, we should go to bed."

Harry sank into his chair again. "Draco isn't in his bed either, 'Mione. He's dying as we speak." He couldn't get how she could act so cool about it. He was losing himself.

"If Voldemort wants you so much, he won't kill Draco. At least, not until he has found you." Hermione's words were brutally honest, but logical.

"That really calms me down. They're probably beating the shit out of him." Harry covered his face with his hands.

"You need to rest." Hermione stood up and put the rest of their books away. "Come on."

Harry suddenly felt very tired and let Hermione guide him back to the common room. He wouldn't be able to sleep, but he didn't feel like staying in the library with the books, either.

He missed Ron by his side. If Ron had been there, it would probably have worked. He really liked Hermione, but he missed Ron's coolness.

Ron couldn't understand how he felt for Draco, and Harry understood. But, at the same time, he felt rather lonely.

"Morning," Ron yawned as he sat down next to Harry in front of the fire.

"Morning," Harry greeted with sleepy eyes, having hardly any sleep at all. Hermione was sitting in another chair, reading the next chapter of her Transfiguration book.

"Have you found him yet?" Ron asked casually. It immediately set Harry's teeth on edge.

"Does it look like I found him, Ron?" Harry replied grumpily.

"No, actually. Didn't you find the spell?" Ron asked. Harry almost punched him in the face.

"If you had been with us like a real friend, you would've known." At this, Ron remained silent whilst Hermione pretended to not be there. Harry stood up and was about to leave the Gryffindor Common Room, when Hermione caught his sleeve.

"Harry! Where are you going?" Hermione inquired, just before he could step out of the portrait.

"I need to clear my thoughts," he answered and let the portrait swing closed behind him. She probably expected him to do something stupid. What were they thinking? That he would just attend his classes while Draco's life was hanging by a thread?

He walked through the outer door into the Hogwarts' grounds. He had already packed everything he could possibly need in his magically-extended bag, hoping Hermione thought it just contained his books.

Harry walked towards the Quidditch pitch. When he reached the empty stadium, he sat down on one of the long benches. He should have done things differently. He shouldn't have ignored Draco. What must he be thinking? He was most certainly facing terror, and all Harry had done was ignore him made him feel unloved.

Harry felt awful; he could feel the longing ache inside his heart. What he would give to find Draco and save him... He pulled out his wand again, pointing it at his heart.

He sat still, picturing Draco's face clearly before his eyes and concentrating on the words of the spell. He didn't speak them out loud, he didn't need to. Slowly, a soft light came out of Harry's wand.

Harry didn't see it as his eyes were closed; he just kept thinking about his lover. The light made its way into Harry's chest. At the touch, Harry's eyes fluttered open.

_Draco_.

He knew where to go. He reached into his bag and pulled his broom out, climbing on it and following the tugging feeling in his chest. It almost felt like a portkey. He threw his bag back onto his shoulders and covered himself with the invisibility cloak.

Off he went.

Hermione had a bad feeling about Harry. She had been watching him out of the corner off her eye and he hadn't slept at all, she could tell.

He looked horrible. But, as he had left the room to 'clear his mind', an uncomfortable feeling had started nagging her chest. She shouldn't have let him go. She was absolutely positive that he would try something.

Anything to find Draco.

As she and Ron made their way to the Great Hall, she paused before the entrance.

"What?" Ron questioned. "Come on, I'm hungry." He tried pulling her shirt, but Hermione didn't move.

"Wait. We need to find Harry first." She turned around and marched outside, Ron following behind reluctantly.

When Hermione saw that the Quidditch pitch was empty, she already knew. It was the only place Harry would go to think, and she could tell that Ron knew, too.

"He's gone to find him," she concluded, her heart sinking into her shoes.

"He would have done it anyway," Ron said. "Nothing could have stopped him, 'Mione."

Hermione knew Ron was right, but didn't want to leave it there. She turned around and started walking back towards the castle. "We need to tell Dumbledore," she announced. She had to do something. It was her fault everything had turned out like this.

"No, don't. Give Harry a moment. They don't know where to find him anyway," Ron replied.

"Ronald, this is your friend we're talking about! He could get himself killed!" Hermione felt like crying and punching Ron for being so stupid.

"I'm sure Harry wouldn't want us to tell," Ron sighed, hurrying towards the Great Hall, craving food.

Hermione remained silent, her hunger diminishing and her thoughts resting on Harry and Draco. She never should have told him about the spell. Stupid girl. Why did she always have to be the smart one?

Now, both Harry and Draco were in danger.

**To be continued…**

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13: Recovery

**Hi! So, this is it. Here's the last chapter. I worked a lot on it, so that's why it took me this long to update. Please enjoy, and most importantly, don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Completely betaed by Siriuslyholly, to who I give a LOT of credit!**

Chapter 13  
Recovery

Harry arrived at a rather large house, hidden in an even larger forest. He didn't have the slightest idea of his whereabouts; he just knew he had to be there, because the invisible rope in his chest kept pulling him.

It was a trick. He had come all this way without seeing one living soul and he knew that it was exactly what Voldemort wanted. He was supposed to find that house without injuries. He was expected to enter.

His need to find Draco was stronger than the instinct to be cautious. Without hesitation, he barged into the house.

Empty. It didn't really surprise him. Voldemort wouldn't wait for him; he would come when _he _pleased, and that would probably be _after _Harry had found Draco.

Harry observed the dark room for a while, trying to figure out where Draco would be kept. He decided to check the dungeons, or the basement; he didn't know whether this place would even have a dungeon.

He marched into a room on his right, darkness blurring his vision. "_Lumos_," he whispered, knowing that this spell could very well mean his death. Everything remained silent, so he continued walking through the room, searching for a staircase.

Harry concentrated on the tight feeling in his heart, and easily found his way down. The rope kept pulling him. Harry almost smiled at Hermione's brilliantness; this spell was superb.

He arrived at the basement, holding his wand in front of him. This would be the place, he felt it. He crept into the basement, his eyes darting around for movement. From what he could see, it had different chambers. He tried to be as silent as he could, holding his breath each time he took a step. There was nothing, not even mice.

Harry started to wonder whether this was the right place at all, but the spell kept tugging him. It drew him deeper into the shadows, until Harry saw a tall dark figure. That must be a guard of Draco's prison.

"_Stupefy_," Harry whispered. The man shot backwards, hitting the wall and sliding down. Harry rushed over; pulling back the hood that covered the Death Eater's face. It was Greyback. Harry's stomach churned as he thought about what this man had done to Lupin. He could only hope this man hadn't been part of Draco's punishment.

He went down another flight of stairs, entering a small, dark room. He could sense Draco was here; the spell was still telling him he was going the right way. He looked around the room and saw a skinny mass on the ground, chained by his wrists and ankles, dirt all over his body. His blonde hair was hanging over his eyes.

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Draco's grey eyes were closed. Harry stepped closer, knowing this was far too easy and probably how Voldemort wanted it.

"Draco, wake up," he whispered. Draco didn't respond at first, but then his eyes fluttered open slowly, recognising Harry. The look in Draco gave him broke Harry's heart into a thousand pieces.

The fire in Draco's eyes had been extinguished. There was only sadness and sorrow in grey pools. It was as if the storm inside him had died away, leaving only wreckage behind. Harry wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him tight. Draco hadn't deserved this.

"Harry," Draco whispered hoarsely. Harry tried to smile, but he felt like crying. All of a sudden, he felt the presence of someone else in the room. Harry jumped up, searching for someone in the darkness.

"Look who we have here. Potter, the _hero_, coming to save Draco." It was Lucius. Harry looked the man in the eye.

"Lucius," he spat, his voice growling with anger.

"How stupid of you to show your face. Draco can't be saved. He has been dirtied by your hands, and nothing can fix him again," Lucius drawled. Harry tried to stay calm, but the words Lucius spoke set his body and brain on fire.

"I haven't dirtied him, Lucius. _You _did. And you're going to pay for it." Harry pointed his wand at the Death Eater, wanting to hex the man straight away, but froze as he heard a voice, ringing out around the room.

"Harry, Harry. You're a fool, you know that. You have let yourself be guided by love, and look where it has taken you. Your parents, your friends, your godfather and now Draco are victims of your stupid beliefs."

Harry turned around in shock. Voldemort was standing behind him, just feet away; his red eyes glinting through the darkness. It should scare him, but it didn't.

"You're a fool yourself, Tom," Harry hissed, his voice steady. "At least Ihave something worth fighting for." He pointed his wand at Voldemort now, hoping Lucius wouldn't hex him first.

"Well, let's see how well you'll do. _Avada Kedavra_!" The green light hardly missed Harry as he ducked away.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Harry shouted, but he hadn't pointed his wand at Voldemort. Lucius' wand flew through the air and Harry caught it triumphantly. He couldn't risk the chance of being killed by Draco's father when his back was turned.

"It's just you and me, Tom," Harry snarled.

"As you please, Harry Potter," Voldemort answered. Harry glanced over to Draco, who was unconscious again. The shock had probably been too much. Harry could only fear what Lucius had done to his son.

Harry tightened his jaw and focused back on Voldemort . "_Protego maxima_," he shouted as green light was sent in his direction again. The light was cast away and hit Lucius Malfoy in the chest.

Lucius fell, his eyes glassy. A shock went through Harry's body, but he remained focused on Voldemort.

"Harry, I hadn't seen you as one to kill, my boy." Voldemort smiled, showing his yellowed fang-like teeth.

"I didn't kill him. You did, it was your spell, Tom! And you're going to pay for what you've done to Draco. _Crucio_!" Harry had never felt so angry before. It flowed through his body as he saw the spell washing over Voldemort. He felt powerful as he sent waves of pain through Voldemort's body.

The Dark Lord didn't seem affected by the pain, but was shocked that Harry had had the anger to use an unforgivable curse.

Voldemort quickly defended himself and broke free from Harry's curse. "You're dead, Harry Potter." Voldemort lifted his wand again, ready to cast another killing curse. Harry turned around quickly to free Draco, shouting "_Relashio_" as he ducked away to avoid the curse once more.

Draco was almost hit, but Harry had pulled him away too, just in time. Voldemort raised his wand again.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Harry shouted, red light shooting out of his wand and interrupting the green one.

He broke the connection again, looked at Draco and saw he was still slumped on the floor. "_Mobilicorpus_!" Harry yelled, and went to run out of the room, Draco floating in front of him. He couldn't carry the boy; it would delay him too much. "_Incendio_!" Harry shouted as he exited the basement. A large flame blocked the way, momentarily delaying Voldemort.

He kept running with Draco in front of him, Death Eaters hot on his heels. Harry couldn't see who it was.

"_Petrificus_ _Totalus_!" he shouted, aiming his wand behind him. He kept running, still keeping Draco levitated and making sure he didn't hit the walls or furniture. Voldemort suddenly apparated in front of him, raising his wand.

"_Protego_!" Harry shouted, protecting Draco from the green light Voldemort's wand shot out. Harry felt his stomach aching, but he kept running until they were out the building. They had been very lucky so far. He grabbed Draco by his wrist and did the first thing that he thought of: Disapparate.

Harry hadn't chosen Hogsmeade to apparate to – Voldemort would probably check there first – but had chosen a place a bit further away. When they arrived, he checked his surroundings to make sure no one was waiting for them. The darkness that surrounded them was completely empty. His vision focused

Harry's heart skipped a beat. He shouldn't have apparated; he didn't have his license yet. Draco had been splinched.

Large pieces of skin tissue were missing on his arm and stomach and he was bleeding heavily. Harry panicked. What was he supposed to do? Draco needed help. Harry couldn't leave him here alone, could he? He couldn't walk all the way to the castle, either.

Harry knew nothing about healing spells. He smoothed Draco's hair soothingly, which was covered in blood. Then an idea popped into his head.

"_Expecto_ _Patronum_!" he cast hurriedly. A silvery stag erupted from his wand, waiting for instruction. He told it what to do, watching as it ran into the distance. He hoped Hermione would be awake at this hour.

Hermione had been worried since Harry had left them that morning. She had gone to Dumbledore, but he had explained to her there was nothing she could do to help, since they had no idea where Draco was. She had seen in Dumbledore's eyes that he was worried too. All they could do was wait.

Night had come and Hermione couldn't sleep. She was turning around in her bed, thinking about everything that could have happened to Harry. She couldn't lose her friend.

She leapt out of bed, frustrated with herself. Ron was probably fast asleep, snoring loudly as always. She lowered herself in front of the window, looking out across the castle grounds.

In the distance, she saw a light, floating nearer to the castle. She squinted, trying to make out what it was. A stag. "Harry."

The patronus drifted closer, rising up to the Gryffindor tower and coming through the window Hermione was sitting at, coming to a stop in the centre of the room. She leapt up and walked cautiously over to it.

"_Draco got splinched. We need help. We're two miles west from Hogsmeade. Hurry,_"it said. Hermione wondered if she were the only one who could hear it.

Hermione didn't hesitate. She rushed to her trunk and looked for her vial of Essence of Dittany, grabbed her wand and ran out of the dormitory and Gryffindor common room. She hoped deep inside her heart that she wouldn't be too late. There wasn't enough time to call a professor, so she made her way through the castle.

When she found herself outside, she hesitated. She couldn't walk all the way to Hogsmeade. She reflected for a while and then came up with an idea.

"_Accio_ _broomstick_," she whispered, concentrating on the brooms in the Quidditch storeroom. A few minutes later – which seemed like hours to Hermione – a broom came flying towards her. It wasn't a very good one, but it would do.

Hermione jumped on it, immediately regretting her idea. Being in the air was very unnatural to her; she hated flying. There was a reason why people didn't have wings. They were supposed to stay with their feet on the ground.

She managed to send the broom in the direction of Hogsmeade. A few long minutes, she arrived at the end of the main street, jumping off her broom and reaching for her wand.

"_Point me," _she whispered. Her wand span around in her hand like a compass and pointed to north. _Two miles west of Hogsmeade…_

She started to run.

Harry knew it would take Hermione some time to get to Hogsmeade, but it seemed to take forever. Panic took over his body. He shushed Draco, who was whimpering, making sure he didn't fall unconscious again. He knew that was important, but he felt useless, not being able to do anything else for him.

Then, all of a sudden, he saw a bush of brown curls fly past. Hermione had squatted next to Draco and immediately started to pour the Essence of Dittanny on Draco's injuries.

"Hermione, thank you so much!" Harry breathed, keeping Draco still for her. Hermione didn't answer, her attention was focussed on healing the splinched Slytherin. When she had finished, and Draco was unconscious again, she sat up and looked at Harry with anger glinting in her eyes.

"Harry Potter! You're such an _idiot_!" she hissed. "Running off without telling me, apparating without a license! You could have been killed!" Harry had seen that one coming.

"I'm so – no, I'm not sorry, Hermione. I needed to do this." Harry stood up, lifting Draco with him. He was surprisingly light. "We need to get help for Draco first. The splinching is not the only thing he went through." He started to walk, not wanting to waste any time arguing with Hermione.

"I'm really glad nothing happened to you, Harry. And I'm glad Draco is going to be fine too. I was really worried."

"Thanks for coming, Hermione. Without you, he wouldn't have survived." Hermione blushed and they walked in silence. When they finally arrived at Hogsmeade, Harry saw the broomstick Hermione had used.

"Three don't fit on a broom. You can go ahead and we'll be right behind you," Harry gestured, but Hermione shook her head. Draco moaned softly in Harry's arms.

"No. You can go with Draco. I'll go on foot."

"No, you put in all that effort to get here –"

"I hate flying. I'm not mounting that broom again," she said firmly. Harry nodded and sat Draco on the broom with a lot of effort. He had shrunken his Firebolt to fit in his pocket, but didn't want to enlarge it again. He didn't think he could handle the Firebolt's poweful flight and keep a hold of Draco at the same time.

Awkwardly, Harry and Draco flew off. He went straight to the castle, to the window of the Hospital Wing. It was difficult to fly whilst grappling an unconscious person, but he managed to get there without incident. He tapped the glass a few times, hoping that Madam Pomfrey would still be awake. After hovering in the air for what seemed like days, she appeared at the window and hastily opened it up for him.

It surprised Harry that she wasn't more shocked at the fact a student had just flown through the window. "Oh dear. Be careful. Bring him in," she whispered. Harry dismounted his broom, lifting Draco off as he did so.

"He got splinched, but otherwise I have no idea what they've done to him."

"I'll do what I can, Mr. Potter. If you would excuse me now, I've got a patient to take care of." She pointed her wand at Draco and Harry watched as he floated out of his arms and onto the bed. She rushed to the main door and opened it.

"Go on. You'll be able to see him soon." Harry wanted to protest, but remained silent as he exited the room.

With one last glance at the Hospital Wing, he made his way to the Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione was already waiting there for him, having apparated just outside the Hogwarts grounds and sprinting the rest of the way. "Harry! Where is he? How is he?"

"Madam Pomfrey is taking care of him. We can't see him right now," Harry answered disappointedly. Hehad risked his life for Draco, and still he wasn't allowed to stay?

On the other side, Harry understood. Draco needed care and attention.

"Well, I'm glad he's being taken care of. He's been through a lot," Hermione sighed. It was late, so the Common Room was completely empty. No sign of Ron.

At that point, someone came down the stairs. "Harry! Where've you been? Me and Hermione have been so worried about you, mate." Ron said as he joined them.

"Ron. I'm –" Harry walked up to him and hugged him. "I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks, mate. I think I just dozed off for a while, but I heard someone downstairs so I figured I'd go check it out. Where's Malfoy?" The fact that Ron was there made Harry a lot happier than he was before.

"He's at the Hospital Wing. Harry _apparated_ to Hogsmeade. Draco got splinched," Hermione answered, with a disapproving glance at Harry.

"No way. How did you manage that?" Ron asked, looking at his friend in awe.

"I didn't have a choice. Voldemort would have killed us both if I didn't get out of there. I was desperate." Harry repied.

"You're lucky he's still alive. People can get seriously injured, getting splinched mate," Ron mumbled, shaking his head.

"I know. I'm glad I'm back. Let's go to bed, and then go and see Draco tomorrow, okay?" His friends both nodded and climbed the seperate stairs. When they entered the boy's dormitory Harry felt exhausted. It was already two in the morning and he still hadn't slept, and even the night before he had hardly any sleep.

He was asleep when his head touched the pillow.

"Goodnight, Harry," Ron whispered. There was no answer.

It was only seven o'clock, but Harry was already wide awake. He wanted – no, he _needed _to see Draco. He woke Ron, who didn't seem very happy to be woken so early.

"'Sup?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

"I'm going to check on Draco. You go back to sleep. Tell Hermione where I am, okay?" Harry whispered to him.

"'Kay," Ron muttered, his eyes closing again, his snore filling the room instantly. Harry made his way to the Hospital Wing as fast as he could. He knocked, and entered.

It didn't surprise him that Madam Pomfrey was already awake, but he hadn't expected to see anyone else but her.

Dumbledore sat on a chair next to Draco's bed, smiling at Harry as he came closer. The Headmaster always knew what was going on in the castle.

"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted sheepishly. He didn't know if he was allowed to be here at this time. Or if he would be punished for leaving the castle.

"Good morning, Harry. I see you brought back Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore's blue eyes glistened.

"Er, yeah," Harry mumbled. Madam Pomfrey looked at him unhappily, but Harry ignored her.

"As Draco is still very weak, We shall go to my office and you can tell me what happened. When Draco has recovered enough, we'll hear his story, too."

"How is he? Madam Pomfrey?"

"He's very weak. The boy needs rest, so I would prefer no visits at all, for now," she replied, looking displeased at Dumbledore's presence. Her look told him to get up and leave.

"Of course Poppy. Come, Harry. We won't be of any help around here."

Harry sighed loudly as Professor Binns went on about some wizarding war in France. Hermione sat next to him, taking notes for them both. Harry was grateful, he wasn't in the mood to be in class.

That morning, he had revealed everything to Dumbledore, The professor was glad they were both alive, and he had summoned the Order to check the house immediately. Of course, Dumbledore knew that Harry had gone the moment that he left the previous day, but it was one of the things he knew Harry must do, alone.

Of course, Voldemort wouldn't be there anymore. But they had to search it, since the body of Lucius Malfoy could still be there.

He would go see Draco at noon. Still one hour to go.

Finally, Professor Binns allowed them to put away their books and quills. Harry ran off to the fourth floor. As Harry knocked on the door of the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey's voice told him to wait until eight o'clock to return. And to not come before that.

Disappointment filled Harry's heart and he walked off again.

Draco's head was aching. Where was he? Was he still alive?

Harry.

That was all he could remember. He had seen Harry. He tried to sit up, but his body hurt so much that he sank back into the cushions.

Cushions. Was he in a bed? How? Draco tried to open an eye. The bright light was too much and he closed them again.

He remembered pain. Pain and Harry. Harry, he had been there. He had come for Draco. Or was it a dream? Draco couldn't tell. Why wasn't he in that room anymore? Or was he? His headache increased as he tried to think, so he stopped thinking.

He fell back into a slumber.

He woke up again. There was someone with him. He could sense it. His body tensed. Who could it be? Had he dreamed of that bed? No. He was still in that bed. Maybe his father had found him after all.

"Draco," he heard. That voice. It was so lovely. Harry. He was dreaming about Harry again. Was he dreaming?

"Draco," the voice called again. Draco smiled. His Harry called for him. This was peaceful. He wanted to stay like this forever, with that soft voice in his head.

"Wake up, Draco. I'm here," Draco could hardly understand what the voice was saying. Then he felt warm lips on his. This was Heaven. For a moment, he felt nothing but that kiss. All the pain ebbed away.

Was it Heaven?

It must be. He opened his eyes a little and saw green. The room was very white. They must be at the entrance of Heaven. Or didn't it work that way? Draco became tired of his own questions.

"Are you awake?" He heard. It was Harry. _Harry._

"T – Thi – Thirsty," he managed to bring out. He felt something cold against his lips. Water.

"H – Harry?" Draco asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?" Harry whispered. He could feel Harry's warm breath on his skin. He was so close that Draco could smell his scent.

"Don't go," he choked.

"I won't," Harry responded. Draco smiled and fell asleep.

Harry sat next to Draco, his hand in Draco's paler one. He was still very weak. Harry hoped that he didn't have nightmares. Oh, right. That was impossible. He was taking Dreamless Sleep potion.

"You'll have to give him some rest, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey ordered after two hours. It was getting late. Harry was fighting his tiredness, still observing Draco silently.

"No. He asked me to stay," Harry responded firmly. "I'm not going anywhere until he says I have to leave."

Madam Pomfrey looked anything but happy, but walked off again, knowing there was nothing she could do. So, Harry was allowed to stay. She returned a few moments later.

"You're not sleeping on a chair. Here." She waved her wand and elongated the chair Harry was sitting on until it was long enough for him to rest his legs on, like a chaise-longue. Harry was grateful. He was tired.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. He relaxed without letting go of Draco's hand and fell asleep only moments later.

[insert line break here]

Harry woke up next to Draco. It had been two weeks since Draco had been kidnapped and he had been sleeping in the Hospital Wing ever since, because Draco had wanted him to. He had to admit he didn't mind at all.

Draco was already up, watching him silently.

"Hi, Ferret Face," Harry greeted, teasing his lover.

"Don't start, Potter. In your position, I wouldn't dare to call me that."

"And what would you do, Handicap?" Harry smiled. Draco narrowed his eyes, but smiled nevertheless.

"I would _make love _to you until you begged for more, Potter." Harry's morning hardness twitched and he sat up.

"You can't. You're still too weak."

"I'll catch up on that later. Make up for lost time," Draco laughed. Harry smiled at his boyfriend.

"You still haven't told me what they did to you," he whispered softly. At this, Draco's smile disappeared.

"No. I haven't."

"You'll tell me in time?" Harry questioned. He understood it was hard for him to be reminded of it.

"In time, yeah."

"I'll get my revenge on him, Malfoy. You can be sure of that. I'll _kill _him for what he has done to you."

Draco smiled again. "You're so cute when you're angry."

"Maybe I'll distract Voldemort with my _cuteness_," Harry said, shooting Draco a death glare. He didn't like to be called _cute._

Draco leant forward and kissed Harry on the lips. "No you won't. You're _mine._"

"Am I?" Harry said, leaning into the taller boy. He caught Draco's lips just in time, preventing him from answering.

"Mr. Potter. You are _not_ allowed to tire my patient. Get into YOUR bed this instant," Madam Pomfrey barked. Harry hadn't seen her coming. Wasn't she still asleep?

Draco pointed his tongue at Harry as the Gryffindor crawled into his bed, his face as red as a tomato.

"Don't be sad, Harry. You'll be able to _tire me out_ when I'm recovered again," Draco said teasingly.

At that, Harry wanted to jump onto the Slytherin, but that was impossible with Madam Pomfrey there.

"I'm serious, Potter. If you can't stay in your own bed, you won't be allowed to sleep here any longer," Madame Pomfrey said, as if she could read his mind.

Draco smiled, his eyes glinting as Harry's green eyes – clouded with lust – shot fire.

"You're not rid of me yet, Malfoy," Harry whispered.

Draco smiled. That was exactly how he wanted it.

**The End!**

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